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gmoyes- Alex realizes that there might be more to the glitched Slowpoke he's fighting against than meets the eye... Still, until proven otherwise, it was best to assume that this Slowpoke would operate by the rules of the game. As such, Alex orders himself to THUNDERBOLT the creature as soon as he is able. Unsurprisingly, Alex's speed surpasses the Slowpoke's, and he goes first. The Thunderbolt animation shows up on the screen, and based on the sound of the hit, it was super-effective as planned. The Slowpoke's HP, though it takes a while to drain, goes down, down, down... CRITICAL HIT! shows up on the screen before the SUPER-EFFECTIVE announcement, and it appears that it was exactly the bit of luck that Alex and Red needed. The Slowpoke faints without a hitch. Alex can't help but feel that the game gave him quite the stroke of luck... The pair are told that they defeated the Youngster, who appears on the screen with that same intense glare as before.

"He chose a world that doesn't want him anymore," the Youngster says in response to his defeat.

The screen fades and returns them to the shrubbery maze right in front of the Youngster they had recently defeated. Red decides that he doesn't want to hear what this creepy Youngster has to say after the battle, and immediately activates Pidgey and Flies back to Lavender Town. The moment the pair return to the eerie little town, they find themselves running as fast as they can out of it... The music has become completely unbearable, complete with horrific screeching and hints of whispers echoing through the music. For the sake of their sanity, the two bolt out of Lavender town; the moment they step into the neighboring Route 8 the start menu flares up on the screen. "Here we go... I hope this gets us out of here," Red's text box says as he closes out of the menu, and the screen flashes in a familiar way to indicate that a wild Pokemon has appeared. When Mew manifests, however, despite it looking like the same old pixilated pink cat that so many Pokefans adored, its aura feels strangely... real to Alex.

"A wild MEW appeared," the text beneath Mew announces. Mew's level manifests as ???, giving Red a bit of a pause. Even so, he still calls out his trusted Porygon, hoping that they might run into the same bit of luck as before.

The options, once again, are FIGHT, PKMN, ITEM and RUN. Your attacks are the same as before. Before you choose, however, a text box appears...

"Who are you?"

At first, Alex thinks this might be Red, but a text box saying, "Um, I'm not sure... I guess I'm RED in this world," appears beneath it. Could it be that Mew is speaking...?

"You aren't RED. Where is RED? Where did he go?"

Red does not respond right away. He seems to be waiting for his trusty Porygon to weigh in on the situation.

How will Alex react?

Alex was stunned that the Thunderbolt managed to hit it for a critical hit one shot knock out. That was way too easy. What was the point of overleveling it if he was going knock it out in one blow anyway? Well whatever happened, they managed to get this step of the plan done. The Slowpoke fell and its trainer came up for his losing speech.

"He chose a world that doesn't want him anymore."

Uh, what? That certainly wasn’t right. But then the battle field disappeared and Red immediately opened up the menu to get Freedom to fly them back to Lavender Town. Alex was glad, the sooner this was over with, the better.

When the duo touched down in the creepy town, Red immediately covered his ears while Alex wished he could do so himself. The eerie music turned into a chaos of screeches and voices. They sprinted/floated out of the town as fast as they could. As they took their first few steps back onto Route 8, a menu popped up. Red stated that this was it and Alex shared the sediment. The trainer closed the menu and a battle was started. Alex was relieved as the pink cat-like pokemon took its place for the battle. Alex was confused for a moment because the opponent’s stat bar listed its level as a bunch of question marks. But it didn’t really matter, all they had to do was throw a Masterball at it and-

“Who are you?”

Alex inwardly frowned. He didn’t say that and Red knew who this was. It must have been the Mew. Red introducing himself confirmed it. This was more than a simple game construct. But the psychic type’s response was odd. It said that he wasn’t Red. The trainer didn’t have a response so Alex put one in himself. “THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE RED YOU KNEW. I AM ACTUALLY A HUMAN. WE ARE BOTH TRAPPED IN HERE AND YOU WERE THE FIRST THING WE THOUGHT OF THAT COULD GET US OUT HERE. PLEASE MEW, WE NEED YOUR HELP. WE DON’T BELONG HERE. IF YOU CAN’T AT LEAST POINT US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.”

Alex kept the cursor close to the bag button, but didn’t hit it yet. Trying to cram it into a pokeball wouldn’t make it help them. It would be better to sort this out without conflict.

Of all the things that shift and change, only your shadow remains the same

Takeo:Honestly, while I would have preferred that you hadn’t edited your last reply, these two are much better than what you’d given me previously. Thank you for putting in the effort and I hope to continue seeing these sort of replies from you in the future.

Having arrived at an intersection and rightly deducing your surroundings as a maze, you choose the left path, hoping it will get you out. As you step into the left corridor, the shadows envelop the light from behind, leaving only a dim glow for you to find your way. The scuttling sounds are a little farther now, but the shadows around you seem more sinister than before, if it was even possible. Maybe you shouldn’t have yelled at them earlier; they seem to have made it their duty to make things slightly more difficult for you.

Further and further you walk with your only companions being the Vulpix in your arms and the shifting shadows on the walls, still dogging your footsteps. Oddly enough, they seem to have thickened while you walked or maybe more have come to join them to watch the funny pair star in their own horror movie. The creepy cackling has started up again and this time it’s accompanied by a poke in the middle of your back. Startled, you whirl around, but there’s nothing there. Or, at least, nothing you can see. Cautiously, you begin walking again.

After another moment, Grace yips in surprise and pain, her ears having been tugged hard to the side, and she cowers into your side, ears flat against her head, as the shadows begin snickering, their disembodied voices bouncing off the walls and echoing through the corridor, making it sound like more and more shadows have come to join in on the fun. Underneath the laughter, you catch a low sound coming from behind you, but the only things you can see now are yourself and Grace; the shadows have blotted everything else out.

You strain your ears and the sound comes again: Thump. A moment later: Thump. And again: Thump. It takes you a second to realize that it’s footsteps and then another to realize that they seem to be picking up speed. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thumpthumpthumpthump. It sounds like, whatever it is, it’s heading straight for you!

What will you do?

~!~

Fireray:I understand that this is not a formal writing class. However, it is appreciated when updatees put effort into the replies they give to updators. If you could elaborate more and restate what happened in your own words with your own observations, although it would be a little repetitive, your reply becomes a more interesting read and more in-depth.

You chase after the other trainer, calling out to him as he follows the rest of the crowd: “Wait. That’s my Pokemon.” However, it seems the sound of the other panicked visitors drowns out your call, as the trainer continues trying to leave. You run after him, hoping to catch up to him and to get out of the train, but a cry goes up as the entire train shudders violently, throwing everyone off their feet. In the mad scramble for everyone to set the ground under their feet again, you lose sight of the other trainer, but panicked cries begin to spring up.

The atmosphere becomes frantic as it quickly becomes obvious that there’s no exit and no way out of the burning train. The remaining passengers begin darting towards whatever exit they can reach, trying desperately to get out. You, at the back of the crowd and nearest to the fire, can hear a faint crackling as the fire slowly approaches the trapped crowd and the faintest smell of smoke drifts lazily into the compartment, sending the rest of the crowd into an even more frenzied panic.

What will you do?

~!~

Tyoyo3131:
After your encounter with a Misdreavus, you return Severus to his Pokeball and move over to the pile of sacks, picking one off the top to use on your way down and releasing a cloud of dust from the old sack. The little particles float in the air for a while and you sneeze once, twice, three times, before you place the sack at the top of the slide and push off, hanging onto Severus’ Pokeball and expecting to meet the Misdreavus again on your way down.

The previous observation that it would be a rough ride proves correct almost immediately, as you bounce over a couple of warped regions that shakes your entire body and makes your rear complain. A moment later, the slide groans loudly and shudders, the vibrations being transferred through your body and you wonder whether the ride will collapse with you still on it. You pass over a few oddly chilly patches, briefly noting the slight gaps in the wall on your right where the Blizzard must have passed through.

About halfway down, you suddenly get lightheaded and your vision goes blurry, everything turning into a cloudy mess. The dreary color scheme slowly melts into a more colorful and cheerful one, all the while giving you the sense that you are floating; you can’t even feel the downward pull of gravity anymore. Then, the clouds whirl and coalesce back into solid objects and you land at the bottom, quickly climbing to your feet as you stare wide-eyed at the scene before you.

Where once stood a deserted amusement park, a lively and populated one had replaced it, complete with crowds of people walking, eating, laughing, and everything else people did at an amusement park. Children laughed as they chased each other around and shrieked as they rode the rides, their parents chatting to other friends or keeping an eye on their young ones as they followed sedately behind. Teens moved around with their friends, pointing out fun-looking booths and interesting prizes to each other, while talking at the top of their voices. There were even trainers among the crowd, traveling around and browsing the attractions, making themselves obvious by the Pokemon that hung around them.

You are suddenly brought out of your shock when you are bowled over by the next person to come down the helter skelter, the two of you landing, winded, on the ground. A Sableye immediately scampers over and glares at you, before chattering over the one who knocked you over. He takes several deep breathes before he speaks, trying to recover his wind. “Woo, oh man. Woah, totally wasn’t expecting that. Woooo.” He rolls over and gets to his feet, brushing himself off as he reassured the agitated Pokemon. “It’s alright, dude. I’m fine. No, seriously. I’m just a little bruised is all.” He turns to you with a sheepish but friendly smile and offers his hand. “Hey, sorry about that. Didn’t realize you hadn’t moved yet or I’d’ve waited before I went down.”

The word of the day is: FUTILE! As in: "Your futile existence has no meaning." Yaaay~

MarbleZone - Wallace cannot help but find himself developing a little bit of Jellicent misogyny after having to deal with the incredibly pretentious, unnecessarily difficult Lady Morgane and her riddle of an order. What was it about female Jellicent that made them so hard to deal with, anyway? First Lady Aedre, and now this? Couldn't he serve just one normal Jellicent in this place?

Poor Levin's wishes will likely not be granted soon, so Wallace Dornez needs to start thinking fast, or else he and Oceanus will be in a great deal of trouble. The living steward cannot help but wonder why his deceased companion is so nervous... After all, Oceanus had already died! What could possibly happen to him now? It seemed strange that he would be worried, and it was highly doubtful that the ghostly butler would be so concerned for someone he did not know well. Then again, there was not much time to think about this mystery, as Wallace would need every second to think about how to solve this riddle. Wallace gives the appearance of scribbling down their orders, when in actuality he is drawing a diagram in order to figure out what Morgane really ordered. Knowing that he will need time, he directs Oceanus to keep the Jellicent occupied with a nod and a voiceless order. Oceanus nods back quickly, and immediately turns back to the Jellicent, grinning like mad to hide his fear.

"Excellent choices, my good sirs and madam! Would any of you be interested in any appetizers before our succulent main course? Perhaps a toe or a finger to sample before the rest of the body is brought out? We also have a fine assortment of caviar from all over Fizzytopia..."

Alphonse seems interested at this proposition. "Caviar, you say? Do you, by chance, have Carvanha roe supplied today?"

"Carvanha roe?" Lord Wormwood sniffs indignantly. "Oh, certainly they would have that... to serve to the Poochyena afterward! What low-class garbage."

"I will have you know that the Carvanha bred on my father's ocean property produce caviar that has bested the finest Milotic caviar in blind taste-tests all across the waters of Fizzytopia!" Alphonse narrows his eyes, clearly irritated by Lord Wormwood's assessment.

"Is that so, old boy?" Lord Wormwood adjusts his monocle and chuckles condescendingly. "I refuse to believe it until I try it... even if the caviar was as grand as you claim, this establishment is not serving your father's fabled caviar, is it?"

"How could they possibly claim to have an assortment of the finest caviar in all of Fizzytopia if they do not serve my father's?"

"The two of you are being absolutely insufferable right now," Lady Morgane growls before wrapping a tentacle around Lawrence. "You would not engage in such petty arguments, would you, my dear Lawrence?"

Seeing Morgane lavish Lawrence with such affection shuts both Jellicent up immediately, as they seethe with envy from across the table. It is around this time that Wallace clears his throat, hoping that repeating the orders would not lead to a dramatic failure on his part. Fortunately for him, Morgane gives him a disinterested nod after he recites the orders back to the table and reassures them that drinks would be coming shortly. Despite the fact that Morgane does not look the least bit impressed by Wallace's correct answer, the look in Oceanus' eyes clearly displays how grateful he is for figuring out the riddle.

"Please do not keep our guests waiting," Oceanus says politely as he points toward the kitchen, ushering Wallace to go pick up the drinks. Serving pad in hand, Wallace and his undefeated Elekid does as they are told, and head towards the kitchen to grab some House Red, House White and a glass of champagne. As Wallace approaches the kitchen door, he becomes more and more aware of the muffled cries that seem to be coming from the other side. Cautiously opening the door, Wallace peers inside the small, yet extravagent kitchen, and comes face to face with the main course, laid out on a table that takes up almost the entire kitchen space... An obscenely obese man with a fine silk gag in his mouth and arms and legs bound with exquisite gold rope has been dressed in a tuxedo which barely fits him. His brow is absolutely drenched in sweat and his wrists and legs are red and raw from struggling against his bonds. Though he initially appears too fatigued to struggle, his deadened eyes light up when he sees the live human butler, and he seems to refresh his attempts to get free upon seeing another living being. Though his muffled attempts at communicating are inaudible as a result of the gag, his eyes speak volumes to Wallace. Clearly, he sees Wallace as a potential savior from this horrific predicament.

On the other side of the poor soul are the bottles and glasses Wallace needs to carry out his order. Certainly, with the morbidly obese man bound and gagged, he would pose little threat if Wallace chose to simply walk past him and carry out his order. Then again... Should he? It was certainly a heavy decision... No pun intended.

How will Wallace and Crixus respond?

uhhhhh - Connor knows he has to think fast, or else he may face some gristly consequences at the hands of gravity. Gaspard responds quickly to Connor's order to jump in his arms, doing so both for his own safety and for the comfort that being close to his trainer provides in such a stressful situation. In Connor's haste to save himself and his partner, he forgets that the Drifloon had to put in quite a bit of effort to lift him off the ground by himself earlier when they lifted him out of their basement home, let alone keep both him and his Aipom afloat. Though the Drifloon do their best to try and save both individuals, they ultimately find themselves sinking with Connor and Gaspard, and though they do slow down the fall somewhat, Connor still finds himself falling rapidly, and given that he is actually given time to think about how long he has been falling, chances are good that when he lands, he will be in for a world of pain... or worse. The poor 'floons cannot hold on any longer, and one by one, they let go. Down, down, down Connor goes, pulled towards the Earth like a lead weight... He clings to his partner for dear life, praying that he lands before his partner does, as a mirrored floor comes into focus, much like the mirrored floor of the DEAD END room. His frightened reflection expands as he falls, and his own pale, terrified expression may very well be the last thing he ever sees... Impact in 3... 2... 1...

Suddenly, Connor feels a pull around his waist. It seems as if Sam and some of the other 'floons were able to make it just the time and grab Connor before he plummets to his death! Though they still are unable to make him float, they at least get a second or two of hovering to ensure that when he falls from their grip, it's only a light drop instead of a deadly one. Sam looks up at the 'floons to thank them, but finds that they are mesmerized by the mirror beneath them... When Connor and Gaspard look down, they merely see their own reflections. The Drifloons, however, appear to be seeing themselves as they were when they were alive. Sam stares down at the reflection of a middle-aged man with balding hair and a twinkle in his eyes, and painfully reaches out with his heart-shaped, yellow appendage towards the reflection. The reflection reaches back with his own hand, causing the poor little Drifloon to choke up with sorrow.

Trainers, Pokemon, a wide array of faces in the mirror... Connor and Gaspard are mesmerized by these mirrors, and take a look at the identities of these 'floons who had invested so much hope in him. For some of these 'floons, it is an awakening to what feels like a long-forgotten memory. For others, like Sam, it is nothing more than a heartbreaking reminder. The 'floons, Connor and Gaspard are so distracted, in fact, that when the Ominous Wind blows towards them, the group only given barely enough time to dodge out of the way! Connor looks up, trying to determine the location of the attack, and comes face to face with the most grotesque creatures that the trainer has ever seen. Though they are in the shape of Drifblim, instead of the ghostly purple rubber that normally acts as Drifblim's body, the Drifblim seem to have been sewn out of human and Pokemon carcasses. Their eyes, bulging and inflated, are nothing more than blackened patches of skin, sewn on where their eyes should be. The "tape" over their mouths appears to be bloodied gauze, and their bulging, borrowed limbs appear to already have rotted somewhat. Three of these corpse-hewn monstrosities gather around Connor, their voices an amalgam of various spirits, speaking as one.

"The Harvesters welcome you, Connor," the three Fleshblims chant, in voices far too cheerful for Connor's liking. Harvesters? What did that mean? Did Connor seriously want to be welcomed by the type of people that would send these things out as the welcome party?

It seems as if the Fleshblim have taken special interest in Connor, as two of them lift Connor up and proceed to attempt to drag him away... The feeling of their flesh is indescribably horrific, and Connor instinctively tries to wriggle free from their grasp. Gaspard, who the other Fleshblim yanks out of Connor's arms and tosses away like a piece of trash, cries out toward his captured trainer, immediately rushing towards the Fleshblim, hoping he will call out orders. The 'floons, who have since been knocked out of their past life reveries, float after the young man as fast as they can; on Sam's order, they fire out a massive Shadow Ball at one of the Fleshblim, which, unfortunately for Connor, the Fleshblim dodges. The Fleshblim seem determined to carry Connor away, but perhaps Gaspard and the 'floons could distract them long enough for Connor to wriggle free... Or, Connor could order them to follow him as backup, and let the monstrosities take him to wherever their destination happens to be.

Dark Searchman - A hundred sets of eyes are upon Hyrem as he approaches the strange Mantine, apparently having fallen under her spell. The Mantine beckons him forward, the mouth of the costume curled into a demented smile. "Yes, that's it... The other spirits bid you welco- AUGH!" The Mantine reels backwards as Hyrem suddenly reveals that he broke free of the Mantine's trance, and she is now missing two eyes as a result. Two eyes fly from the wall at incredible speeds to replace the ones that have been poked out of her costume, and they sink into the old sockets as if they were made to fit there. As this is happening, the reckless Hyrem positions himself between Delilah and the Harvester, and drops the oran berry on the ground before her, ordering her to eat up quickly while he can protect her. The Harvester of Eyes turns her attention on the Frillish, who have been ordered to get up close and Bubble as many of the eyes on her costume as they can. Before they attack, however, the eyes glow with an eerie, white light... Nothing seems to happen as a result, but the Frillish are definitely uneasy about what they've observed. Even so, both Frillish attempt to Bubble the costume eyes, and together they are able to irritate some of the blinded eyes even further, though their bubble does not seem to do much damage. The eyes on the wall focus on Delilah and glow in the same eerie way that the eyes on the costume did earlier, but once again, nothing seems to happen. Delilah does shudder a bit, however, as if something dreadful is about to come. Despite the premonition, however, Delilah is undeterred, and once her trainer moves out of the way, she unleashes a torrent of Scalding water at the Mantine, only to have the costumed creature deftly dodge out of the way! Cackling wickedly, the Mantine growls, "You will stop interfering with Hyrem's destiny, foolish one..." before her eyes focus on Delilah and try to shoot a Simple Beam at her! Fortunately, Delilah is also quick on her feet, and she manages to avoid being hit by the concentrated beam attack. The Frillish use this opportunity to poke as many eyes as they can out of the costume. Unfortunately, they are only able to get about one set of eyes each before the Mantine whips around, motioning with her fin to the eyes on the wall. The eyes on the right wall focus on the blue Frillish, while the eyes on the left wall focus on the pink one... They unleash their own Simple Beams at the two Jellyfish Pokemon, who both suffer a direct hit. Though neither appear damaged by the attack, they both look a little dumbfounded...
Faint laughter begins to echo in Hyrem's head. The laughter is vaguely familiar, but Hyrem can't quite place it... It sounds like two distinct voices.

It is quickly becoming clear to Alice that the Purrloin she had previously captured learned his tricks from his capable, able-bodied mother, and she can't help but feel frustrated that yet another of her Pokemon has been affected by torment. Alice encourages the little fire-bird not to take any of the Liepard's crap, and though the Torchic is clearly still hurt by the viciousness of the purple spotted cat, he does flare out his chest, eager to continue the battle and prove his worth to his trainer. He uses his claws to slap some mud onto the Liepard, and though the little chick is blinded, he manages to side-swipe the creature's face, causing her to howl out in pain. She seems to be affected in one eye, though the other is still clearly focused. Liepard lashes out with claws drawn, attempting a Fury Swipes on Torchic, but the agile bird leaps out of the way just in time! A flurry of orange-red feathers explodes from Torchic and flies toward the Liepard like a hundred arrows, as the fiery bird's Featherdance is right on target once again. The Liepard, irritated with the Torchic's luck in battle thus far, decides to go in hot Pursuit of the little bird, and lunges at the poor little creature, hitting him dead-on with as powerful a strike as she can muster. Though the feathers covering her body lighten the blow,Torchic visibly winces in reaction to the hit; even so, he quickly shakes his head and calls out angrily, indicating that he is far from giving up. He fires off an Ember to try to burn the sand out of his eyes, and though some of the sand seems to be removed from this process, the rest of it cakes on from the immense heat, meaning that though Torchic has regained his eyesight partially, it will take more time for the rest of the sand to clear from his eyes. While Torchic tries to regain his vision, Purrloin takes the opportunity to Swipe at the little creature with all of her Fury, and lands three strikes before the Torchic is able to get away from the Liepard's brutal claws... the claws, however, are covered in feathers, which seems to strangely lighten the blow somehow.

Both Liepard and Torchic are now partially blinded. Liepard is looking slightly more damaged than Torchic, though both are full of energy and relatively healthy.

Meanwhile, the Houndoom just keep coming for Rapid, who takes them on without even the slightest hint of fear. A pile of six Houndoom now gather around her feet. It is difficult for Alice to tell whether or not the mechanical Rapidash is fatigued (or if she is even capable of being fatigued), or if she has taken damage. She looks as pristine as she was when she first came off the carousel, but the Houndoom keep on coming...

How will Alice respond?

Balmund - "Seviper, huh?" William smirks. "So, women find your giant snake intimidating... I see how it is." He nudges Balmund and gives him a wink. Though he seems to be enjoying kidding around with the dragon tamer, there is a general aura around William that suggests a bit of uneasiness regarding their current situation. Even so, he listens with a sympathetic expression as Balmund relates the story of how he obtained his Aerodactyl, and the "addictions" that have kept him running low on cash since that purchase. "Mm, we all have our demons, man..." William nods knowingly. "I ain't the type to judge."

As William's expression becomes more serious and he explains exactly what he intends to do, Balmund can't help but wonder if his efforts will even amount to anything. Even if William were to be successful in saving Kaida from the wreck, chances are that it would create a time paradox or alternate reality in which the William in this world would be left alone, suffering. Even so, Balmund can almost picture what William must have gone through over the past decade or so in dealing with this tragedy. Sleepless nights, screaming at the dark... horrific nightmares if sleep ever did come... every morning awakening to a bleak, empty world without his daughter. He, in some ways, had become the park in which his little girl had been buried: a haunted shell of his former self, overcome with ghosts, unable to let go of the past. Even if his efforts were to amount to nothing, Balmund cannot find it in his heart to say no to this man. William grins when Balmund suggests offering an Aerodactyl ride to young William and his child.

"I told you it was a dream o'mine, right? A real, live Aerodactyl... Kaida loves ancient Pokemon just like her dad. She'd be so happy to see one, let alone ride one. You fly safe with her now, y'hear me? I ain't f***in' around." William laughs, but Balmund can sense the seriousness of his concern. When Balmund suggests wrecking the Ghost Train, however, William sighs, rubbing his head as if trying to think of the right words to say.

"I wish I could, Duke... Y'know, losin' a child is a fate I'd never wish on anyone. Not even the worst person, but... that's not how this whole thing works. Yer' from Blackthorn, man... Surely you remember what they say about the old dragons, how they keep the balance in this world." William shakes his head. "For some f***ed-up reason, they let this tragedy happen, Duke. They let it happen to me, to so many people, 'cause it's part of the balance of life and death. People get sick, there are disasters, wars, awful s**t, and we can't change that. Even if we did, somethin' else on the timeline would have t'give. Some other tragedy would take its place, to make up for it. Balance, Duke. That's why these damn Dusknoir are after us. They know we're here muckin' things up where we're not s'posed to. The only reason this'll work... The only reason I know this'll work... is 'cause I plan on keepin' the balance." William grimaces a bit, as if holding back tears. "I'm a s***ty sacrifice, but Dialga'll have to f***in' deal with it."

Kurthnaga lands in front of the ghost train with one hour and twenty minutes to go before the event that will change the Phantom Isle Theme Park forever. To Duke and William, it's strange how... well, how normal everything seems right now. Children walking down the boardwalk with their parents, licking Pichu-shaped ice cream pops and chattering about their favorite rides... Trainers and their Pokemon excitedly looking at maps and playing with theme park merchandise, still with fresh tags attached... Park mascots being perky and annoying as always. It's a beautiful day at the park, without a single cloud in the sky. The atmosphere makes Balmund wonder, if just for a moment, whether or not the accident even happened at all. Perhaps they had already changed the timeline so severely that the accident was no longer a part of the narrative of the park. Yet even with their colorful, peaceful surroundings, neither Balmund nor William can shake that lingering feeling of dread... That bit of premonition that nothing is really as it seems.

William dismounts from Kurth, and reaches out to Balmund, offering a hand to shake. "Whatever happens next... Man, just know that I owe you big time. I won't forget that. You're a good man, Duke." William tries to smile, though his face seems stuck, fighting against whatever emotions may be hiding beneath his exterior. "C'mon, we gotta get Will and Kaida to agree to this. I think I see them over there..." William points in the direction of a young man, who appears to be getting some death-stares from some parents around him. A tiny voice rings out beside him, girlish and clearly young, probably no older than 5 or so:

"Daddy, that boy over there said there's a Sally-mence doin' tricks! That's fuggin' awesome! I bet he kicks asssss!" The little girl grins widely, doing a near-perfect imitation of her father's way of speaking.

"Kaida, baby, those are grown-up words..." The younger William attempts to be stern, but for a man with such a wicked reputation, he seems to be failing miserably.

"I'm 5 and a half!" Kaida holds up five fingers on one hand and a bent pinky on the other. "I made it ta' the other hand. That's growned-up, ya know!"

Young William simply laughs, and shrugs sheepishly at the other parents, who have been covering the ears of their children in hopes of preventing them from imitating Kaida. The Older William chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "Yep... That's us, all right."

What will Balmund do?

Shadowshocker - Scherza's inappropriate outburst causes Pyrrhos to burst out laughing, though he does his best to hide his amusement by placing two candle-studded appendages over his mouth. The beauty spreads the fingers out on her left hand just enough to reveal an eye that appears to have been slashed in half by some sort of claw. She looks at Shadow for a moment before bursting into tears, her fingers tightening back together, concealing the eye once again.

"Oh, sir... Your friends remind me so much of my baby bird... Oh, my poor little Joy!" The Beauty sobs violently, and blood-soaked tears drip from the hands that are clasped over her face. She tries to describe her Joy to Shadow through the tears. "She was young... so young, just like your friends... the sweetest little Vullaby, with a skull cracked right down the middle to hide her rump. She liked tha-aat skull... did not *sniff* want to get rid of it, oh no.. I wish I had died first. She... she could have used mine, if she wanted to. I have no use for... it... now." The Beauty's voice is deep with sorrow and regret. Though her sentiments are a bit morbid, Shadow can sense how difficult the grieving process has been for this trainer.

She tries to compose herself, and lifts herself to stand, though Shadow immediately wishes that she didn't; a string of intestines hangs from a horrific gash over her lower midsection, which was not immediately apparent when she was hunched over. Clearly, whatever had attacked her was completely intent on ensuring her death. "I... I don't remember my death very well. It was far from here, on an island famous for its wide variety of flying Pokemon. My friends had encouraged me to catch a new Pokemon, like a Rufflet or a Murkrow... not to replace Joy, oh no! No one could ever replace her... but so that the love in the heart does not go to waste pining away for a Pokemon that... that can no longer receive it. I was investigating a nest deep in the forest when something attacked me. I'm not sure what it was... I think I went into shock before I realized what was happening to me. death came pretty fast... I wish I could tell you more." The Beauty shudders with a bone-rattling sigh. "I do remember Joy's death clear as day... We went adventuring here in the Theme Park where I had caught her originally, just a couple of reckless young girls, she and I. We were wandering around the top floor of the Hotel parking complex... It was three years to the day after I caught her in that very complex as a trainer just starting out. Both times we went, we didn't have the guts to go after the ghosts in the park or actually go inside the Hotel, but we thought we might see something interesting out there, or even catch her a sister or brother to play with. We didn't see anything at first, but eventually we started to hear the sound of birds crying out overhead. There was a flock of Mandibuzz flying above us, and Joy was so excited, flapping her little wings... She wanted to meet with them so badly. I imagine they were family to her still, despite the bond she and I shared. Well, they wanted to see her, too... They dove at her with this crazed look in their eyes. They became like shadows... formless, black monstrosities. I have never seen anything like it. They knocked her out of my arms before I could even blink. I picked her up and started running for my life, but it was... it was too late. They had... they had already... it only took one attack to..." The Beauty does not finish her sentence, for the emotion becomes too overwhelming for her to continue.

"Flock of Mandibuzz, huh..." Pyrrhos seems thoughtful. "Never heard of them doing that before, especially to one of their own. Supposed to be scavengers, aren't they?"

"I know what I saw," the Beauty grunts angrily. "They were not like any other Mandibuzz I've ever seen, and I have studied them extensively, both before and after what happened to Joy."

Pyrrhos turns towards Shadow, a look of concern clear on his face. "It is rare that I wander outside the Hotel, but perhaps a little trip is in order... The parking lot is right outside the hotel, but as I am sure you've guessed, it has not been used in years. I cannot guarantee your safety should you decide to go there. Do you have any more questions for our Beauty here, or shall we go?"

"Merle," the girl mutters darkly. "My name is Merle."

"Ah, yes. A pleasure, Merle. Now, do you have any more questions for Merle, or shall we head off?" Pyrrhos looks at the scientist inquisitively. How will Shadow respond?

kaisap112/tau - After communicating his feelings to Quinn through a series of glances, Nook darts off in the direction of his glittering desires, which have been tarnished with thoughts of revenge. Quinn entrusts Banzai with the task of following Nook wherever he may go and looking out for the little Zigzagoon. Kitty also shows some interest in following the boys, but after images of the little Skitty finding herself lost and alone in this ominous landscape flash through Noriko's mind, the female trainer quickly ensures that her pink kitten is safe and sound and adequately prevented from running off. Quinn and Noriko both decide to chase after the pair, but not before Noriko makes a joke about knowing the perfect gift to get Nook for Christmas... perhaps a Team Pocket themed leash was in order!

Though the pair of trainers are fairly quick in deciding to follow after Nook and Banzai, they soon find themselves trailing behind Quinn's energetic Pokemon as they dart around Salty Sam's ominous-looking ship... Despite being wrought out of plastic and metal and being about as authentic as the depiction of Salty Sam himself, in the ride's current state of utter disrepair, it almost looks like a real beached shipwreck under the pale moonlight. Eventually, the pair race so far ahead of the trainers that Quinn and Noriko momentarily lose sight of them. A wash of panic comes over both trainers, particularly Quinn, as they both try to figure out where to turn... fortunately, the call of Quinn's Zigzagoon alerts them to the furry creature's presence, and the two dart after him, who sounds as if he has snuck behind the ship.

Noriko and Quinn sprint behind the ship, only to stop dead in their tracks to find Nook happily eating an Oran Berry beside a floating pirate coat, hat, pants and boots, all of which look surprisingly realistic for such a gimmicky attraction, right down to the polished buckles. The coat moves about as if somebody is inside, though if there is indeed a body holding up this strange ensemble, it is completely invisible to Noriko and Quinn. On the shoulder of the "pirate" is a familiar looking Murkrow, who squawks contentedly as one of the coat sleeves floats up to pat the bird on the head, while the other provides her with a small, glittering trinket to appease her love of shinies. Underneath the Zigzagoon's paws is the coin that the little creature had seen earlier, which he seems to be guarding. Banzai seems a little less pleased than Nook to find himself in the presence of such odd company, and he growls warily at the apparation before him, not quite sure whether or not he can trust what he sees before him. A loud, jovial laugh echoes from the chest of the floating coat, filling the night air with its warmth.

"Oh, not th'coin, my lass... The coin's a piece o'rubbish. Not even real gold. No, I'm talkin' about those obsidian eyes y'found me, shining in the darkness... Those gems'll find us some real treasure, hmm? Ohh, they glisten like black gold, don't they, now?" The pirate hat turns in the direction of the Zigzagoon, who is surprisingly unafraid of the pirate spectre. "A fine little ruffian this one is, though he's got that gleam in his eye... You know the one, 'ay Charity?"

Charity looks... less than convinced. Even so, the pirate's laughter continues to fill the air.

"Will y'be comin' with me then, y'little scallywag? I could use a creature like you t'sniff out somethin' special..." The floating coat extends a sleeve towards Nook in invitation. It seems as if the pirate has not noticed Noriko or Quinn yet.

How will the trainers react?

gmoyes - Alex explains to the Mew that though "Red" appears to be the protagonist of the game, he is likely not the Red that Mew once knew. A strange sound emanates from the pixelated Mew... something akin to a sigh. Alex then goes on to ask the Mew for help, sensing that this Mew is no ordinary game construct.

"It is as I feared," the Mew finally says. "We tried to make this little coffin bright. Colorful. We tried to fill him with dreams, keep the spirit pacified. It was not enough for him to be in control of his world. No. He wants control of yours, as well!" The Mew cries out in anger. "He has learned how to escape the game, has he? Very well. If it is as I predict, the rules of your game will not apply to him, either. He will find ways around them." Mew's eyes begin to glow strangely. "Ah, but I am a bit of a traditionalist... The rules are that I cannot let you back into your own world without a battle. Hehehe... This time, it will not be so easy. One lucky shot will not be enough to save you."

The screen utilizes the message, "MEW used GLITCH!" Suddenly, all of Alex's hand-selected moves are replaced with GLITCH! What on Earth was going on now? Why was everything so... random? Mew seems to smirk at your confusion, and decides to explain. "You think I would let you get away with spamming Blizzard or Tri Attack? No. We will let fate decide this battle. There is no telling what will happen... You will get your moves back IF you win."

Red suddenly chimes in, having been silent up until now. "You're a PORYGON, aren't you? A creature made in cyberspace? Maybe you could somehow analyze what's going on...? I dunno, it's a long shot, but maybe it could work!"

A long shot, indeed. "Porygon" could try and take a turn out to analyze the move, or he could go right into battle and see if luck will be on his side... Either way, Mew looks like it's ready to battle...

It is quickly becoming clear to Alice that the Purrloin she had previously captured learned his tricks from his capable, able-bodied mother, and she can't help but feel frustrated that yet another of her Pokemon has been affected by torment. Alice encourages the little fire-bird not to take any of the Liepard's crap, and though the Torchic is clearly still hurt by the viciousness of the purple spotted cat, he does flare out his chest, eager to continue the battle and prove his worth to his trainer. He uses his claws to slap some mud onto the Liepard, and though the little chick is blinded, he manages to side-swipe the creature's face, causing her to howl out in pain. She seems to be affected in one eye, though the other is still clearly focused. Liepard lashes out with claws drawn, attempting a Fury Swipes on Torchic, but the agile bird leaps out of the way just in time! A flurry of orange-red feathers explodes from Torchic and flies toward the Liepard like a hundred arrows, as the fiery bird's Featherdance is right on target once again. The Liepard, irritated with the Torchic's luck in battle thus far, decides to go in hot Pursuit of the little bird, and lunges at the poor little creature, hitting him dead-on with as powerful a strike as she can muster. Though the feathers covering her body lighten the blow,Torchic visibly winces in reaction to the hit; even so, he quickly shakes his head and calls out angrily, indicating that he is far from giving up. He fires off an Ember to try to burn the sand out of his eyes, and though some of the sand seems to be removed from this process, the rest of it cakes on from the immense heat, meaning that though Torchic has regained his eyesight partially, it will take more time for the rest of the sand to clear from his eyes. While Torchic tries to regain his vision, Purrloin takes the opportunity to Swipe at the little creature with all of her Fury, and lands three strikes before the Torchic is able to get away from the Liepard's brutal claws... the claws, however, are covered in feathers, which seems to strangely lighten the blow somehow.

Both Liepard and Torchic are now partially blinded. Liepard is looking slightly more damaged than Torchic, though both are full of energy and relatively healthy.

Meanwhile, the Houndoom just keep coming for Rapid, who takes them on without even the slightest hint of fear. A pile of six Houndoom now gather around her feet. It is difficult for Alice to tell whether or not the mechanical Rapidash is fatigued (or if she is even capable of being fatigued), or if she has taken damage. She looks as pristine as she was when she first came off the carousel, but the Houndoom keep on coming...

How will Alice respond?

"Keep at it, Torchic! You're my man here!" Alice called out encouragingly. They were both blinded, but hopefully the movement would help more of the sand leave his vision as the battle wore on. She barked out more orders: commanding for a Double Team to increase evasion, upping the struggle for the already frustrated Liepard; Agility to try and match the mother's speed, and a Crossfire to brutally finish the round! However, it was becoming hard for her to focus on the battle. She was trembling, and her chick knew why.

The Houndoom were relentless, unending. She had no idea where they had all come from, or were coming from, but she was absolutely terrified. Rapid didn't look like they were causing her any harm, but the trainer was immensely worried. "Rapid, how are you holding up? Are you alright?! Can you keep going?!" She called, trying to keep her voice steady. It was occuring to her that maybe fleeing would be the best option. Take out or drive away the Liepard, then hope that the Rapidash could use that teleportation trick from a while back to whisk them to safety. If not... Well, she was a Rapidash copy, so perhaps her speeds and Bounce could outrun and out-leap them? That felt like Alice's only hope. Bagon knew Hydro Pump, but he wasn't strong enough to even handle one Houndoom - nevermind a pack!

uhhhhh - Connor knows he has to think fast, or else he may face some gristly consequences at the hands of gravity. Gaspard responds quickly to Connor's order to jump in his arms, doing so both for his own safety and for the comfort that being close to his trainer provides in such a stressful situation. In Connor's haste to save himself and his partner, he forgets that the Drifloon had to put in quite a bit of effort to lift him off the ground by himself earlier when they lifted him out of their basement home, let alone keep both him and his Aipom afloat. Though the Drifloon do their best to try and save both individuals, they ultimately find themselves sinking with Connor and Gaspard, and though they do slow down the fall somewhat, Connor still finds himself falling rapidly, and given that he is actually given time to think about how long he has been falling, chances are good that when he lands, he will be in for a world of pain... or worse. The poor 'floons cannot hold on any longer, and one by one, they let go. Down, down, down Connor goes, pulled towards the Earth like a lead weight... He clings to his partner for dear life, praying that he lands before his partner does, as a mirrored floor comes into focus, much like the mirrored floor of the DEAD END room. His frightened reflection expands as he falls, and his own pale, terrified expression may very well be the last thing he ever sees... Impact in 3... 2... 1...

Suddenly, Connor feels a pull around his waist. It seems as if Sam and some of the other 'floons were able to make it just the time and grab Connor before he plummets to his death! Though they still are unable to make him float, they at least get a second or two of hovering to ensure that when he falls from their grip, it's only a light drop instead of a deadly one. Sam looks up at the 'floons to thank them, but finds that they are mesmerized by the mirror beneath them... When Connor and Gaspard look down, they merely see their own reflections. The Drifloons, however, appear to be seeing themselves as they were when they were alive. Sam stares down at the reflection of a middle-aged man with balding hair and a twinkle in his eyes, and painfully reaches out with his heart-shaped, yellow appendage towards the reflection. The reflection reaches back with his own hand, causing the poor little Drifloon to choke up with sorrow.

Trainers, Pokemon, a wide array of faces in the mirror... Connor and Gaspard are mesmerized by these mirrors, and take a look at the identities of these 'floons who had invested so much hope in him. For some of these 'floons, it is an awakening to what feels like a long-forgotten memory. For others, like Sam, it is nothing more than a heartbreaking reminder. The 'floons, Connor and Gaspard are so distracted, in fact, that when the Ominous Wind blows towards them, the group only given barely enough time to dodge out of the way! Connor looks up, trying to determine the location of the attack, and comes face to face with the most grotesque creatures that the trainer has ever seen. Though they are in the shape of Drifblim, instead of the ghostly purple rubber that normally acts as Drifblim's body, the Drifblim seem to have been sewn out of human and Pokemon carcasses. Their eyes, bulging and inflated, are nothing more than blackened patches of skin, sewn on where their eyes should be. The "tape" over their mouths appears to be bloodied gauze, and their bulging, borrowed limbs appear to already have rotted somewhat. Three of these corpse-hewn monstrosities gather around Connor, their voices an amalgam of various spirits, speaking as one.

"The Harvesters welcome you, Connor," the three Fleshblims chant, in voices far too cheerful for Connor's liking. Harvesters? What did that mean? Did Connor seriously want to be welcomed by the type of people that would send these things out as the welcome party?

It seems as if the Fleshblim have taken special interest in Connor, as two of them lift Connor up and proceed to attempt to drag him away... The feeling of their flesh is indescribably horrific, and Connor instinctively tries to wriggle free from their grasp. Gaspard, who the other Fleshblim yanks out of Connor's arms and tosses away like a piece of trash, cries out toward his captured trainer, immediately rushing towards the Fleshblim, hoping he will call out orders. The 'floons, who have since been knocked out of their past life reveries, float after the young man as fast as they can; on Sam's order, they fire out a massive Shadow Ball at one of the Fleshblim, which, unfortunately for Connor, the Fleshblim dodges. The Fleshblim seem determined to carry Connor away, but perhaps Gaspard and the 'floons could distract them long enough for Connor to wriggle free... Or, Connor could order them to follow him as backup, and let the monstrosities take him to wherever their destination happens to be.

Connor's plan to let the Drifloons carry him didn't exactly work as he just recalls that they had previously exerted a lot of effort just to lift him up from their basement home back to the mirror maze before. To have him and Gapsard stay afloat for an uncertain amount of time was too difficult for even the tiny Drifloons to handle and the unfortunate duo find themselves sinking instead. As much as they tried to help him, they all found it too difficult to lift him up and one by one they let go of the duo. Connor and Gaspard were now beginning to fear for their lives as they now see a mirrored floor underneath them just like the one in the mirrored room. "Aipopo..." Gaspard says to him in a worried and frightened tone. Was this going to be their end? Both Connor and Gaspard thought as they continue to fall rapidly towards the mirrored floor as they both tightly cling to each other, hoping for a miracle.

Suddenly, Sam and the others managed to get a hold of the two in time before they crash into the mirrored floor. "Wha- Sam! Everyone else!" Connor exclaimed as even though they still could not make the duo float, they could at least soften their fall and land safely instead. As soon as Connor and Gaspard had landed, they looked at the Drifloons to thank them, "Thanks again, Sam and everyone else too. Guess that's another thing that we owe you huh... huh?" Connor stops as it seemed the Drifloons seemed to be distracted over something as they gazed on the floor, "Um, guys? Is there something on my face? Hello?" he waved at Sam to get his attention, "Aipo-aipopom!" Gapsard calls out to Connor as he gestures to look down on the mirror. Connor did as he was told and at first he saw nothing out of the ordinary as what was facing him was just his and Gaspard's own reflection. "Aipom! Pom pom!" he then was gestured to looked at Sam's own reflection on the floor and only did Connor find out the reason why the Drifloons were distracted.

As he looked at Sam's reflection, he saw not of a Drifloon's but reflection instead shows that of a middle-aged man with balding hair. Sam held out his heart-shaped yellow appendage towards the reflection and it responded back by reaching out his own had to the Drifloon. Connor could see the pained look of the little Drifloon and instinctively and wordlessly tried to comfort him by holding his other free appendage and gave him a silent nod, letting Sam know that he sympathizes with him. He then looked around to find the other Drifloons and saw various faces on their reflections, people and Pokemon alike. Connor couldn't help but be amazed at how these mirrors managed to reflect their previous selves and at the same time, he felt sorrowful for them knowing that they may never return to their past lives. He grabbed his camera to prepare to take a picture though his mood was more solemn than his usual enthusiasm whenever he takes a photo. Gaspard wonders what his partner was doing, "...Gaspard, these Drifloons entrusted to us their lives, their hopes, their futures, their freedom. These innocent people and Pokemon alike just happened to be at the wrong place... and it had cost them their lives. To see some of them like this, reminded of the fact that they lost their previous lives and that they may never return back again... it breaks my heart just thinking about it," Connor then focused his camera as he snapped a photo of the Drifloons, "I take this photo now because I want other people to see this not just as a beautiful picture, to let them know how I felt, to let them know the story behind it. I can only hope that this story will have a happy ending... Let's make it happen for their sake, alright?" he said as he tucked away his camera back in his backpack and held Gapsard in his arms once more.

Suddenly however, the entire distracted group had been attacked by an Ominous Wind. Thankfully they had just enough time to dodge it, but as Connor sees who their assailant was, he suddenly wished that he hadn't as he began to feel the need to vomit upon looking at them. What Connor, Gaspard, and the Drifloons saw were the shape Drifblims... but instead of the purple rubber body that normal Drifblims usually have, these Drifblims instead had a mixture of human and Pokemon carcasses that serves as their body. The photographer suddenly had a headache, as if looking at them triggered something locked up in his sub-conciousness... whatever that 'something' was, "Grr, this again? I don't need this right now!" he thought as he grasped his own head. Three of the Fleshblims surrounded Connor as they spoke to him as one.

"The Harvesters welcome you, Connor," they said in a disturbingly cheerful tone. As the headache seems to fade away a bit somewhat, Connor looked at the Fleshblims one more time, resisting the urge to puke at their sight. "Harvesters? What do they mean? Who are these gu---" He suddenly had a horrifying thought as to where these carcasses had come from as he looked at the Drifloons, "No... please no... that's just..." he then tried to vomit at the thought but nothing comes out. Two of the Fleshblims try to take Connor away to Arceus-knows-where, the feeling of their rotted flesh just made Connor horrified and even more wanting to get something out of his system already. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't you know it's rude to drag people along unwittingly?! Let me go!" As much as Connor didn't want to be dragged by these monstrosities, he couldn't do anything as his attempts to squirm out of them had failed. Gaspard, who had been taken away from his arms and was tossed aside had called out to his partner to give out orders and Sam and the other Drifloons had unleashed a Shadow Ball albeit failing to hit their target. Connor initially wanted to give out commands to distract the Fleshblims but stopped himself as another thought had crossed him.

"Wait guys hold your attack! Be my backup and follow us," he said to them which confused Gaspard. The Aipom was about to protest but Connor gave him a silent look that told him that he other plans on his mind and just have faith in him. Gaspard calms down and gives him a knowing nod. As much as he hated to admit, the entire group does not know where this place is right now and the only ones that are most likely to know so far were these... things. He thought it would be better to have him be taken by these flesh balloons while Gaspard, Sam, and the others follow them. He only hoped that it might lead them to clues that would guide them closer to the exit, if not the exit itself which was unlikely. He also wanted to stall for time to think about their situation carefully, as one wrong move could end up being potentially risky not just for him and Gaspard, but also Sam and the other Drifloons. After all, there is a thin line between being courageous, and being a reckless fool. It's a risky move, he thought and he had no idea what they want out of him, but he could see no better option right now.

Despite the lack of human activity in the park during its closure, it seems those from the realm of the dead are quite active in these parts. All of the popular rides remain the same as they were prior to the ghost train event, but over time they seem to have become populated by very unsavoury characters in the form of spectres, poltergeists, and even some of the more mischievous Pokémon who want to manipulate anyone brave enough to enter such a place. If you dare to venture here, you'd best have your wits about you.

Areas:The Big Wheel: Seems like any old wheel ride, but on a much greater scale. Each carriage can easily hold ten people and the top of the wheel is so high that it cannot be seen from the ground due to it being shrouded in the bizarre violet fog. Recently, there have been rumours of it speeding up, its riders lost, but where?

Wes pulled up the hood of his green parka jacket as he strolled through the swinging gates of the deserted theme park, the tails of the coat billowing in the icy breeze. There was a chilly purple mist carpeting the Island, the trainer could see his own breath as he rubbed his hands together idly. He already felt the park had an almost ominous feel to it. Wes was clued up on the incident of the park’s closure, and had heard first hand tales of haunted rides and eerie spirits the likes of which would send most trainers flocking for miles. Wes pressed on regardless, a sort of wicked smile painted on his face as adrenaline rushed through his blood.*

“Looks like we’ve made it to the ferris wheel”, Wes grinned. Suddenly realising he was talking to himself, the trainer rummaged around the parka’s deep pockets until he fingered a muddy-green Nest Ball. Tossing the ball just a foot away he squinted as it cracked open and released a bright light in stark contrast to the foggy backdrop. With a low yawn a great shaggy beast stretched out its long arms. It appeared Wes had woken up the Tangrowth, it was nearing midnight after all. He didn’t seem to mind though. He quite liked being out of his Pokéball, even in such dark and chilly environments.

“So are you ready to ride with me Mojumbo?” Wes asked eagerly, confident the towering shrub would be first in his squad to meet any height requirements. Tangrowth simply tilted his head oddly, giving no indication of excitement or fear. Wes took this as a yes, swallowing anxiously before heading forward.

MarbleZone - Wallace cannot help but find himself developing a little bit of Jellicent misogyny after having to deal with the incredibly pretentious, unnecessarily difficult Lady Morgane and her riddle of an order. What was it about female Jellicent that made them so hard to deal with, anyway? First Lady Aedre, and now this? Couldn't he serve just one normal Jellicent in this place?

Poor Levin's wishes will likely not be granted soon, so Wallace Dornez needs to start thinking fast, or else he and Oceanus will be in a great deal of trouble. The living steward cannot help but wonder why his deceased companion is so nervous... After all, Oceanus had already died! What could possibly happen to him now? It seemed strange that he would be worried, and it was highly doubtful that the ghostly butler would be so concerned for someone he did not know well. Then again, there was not much time to think about this mystery, as Wallace would need every second to think about how to solve this riddle. Wallace gives the appearance of scribbling down their orders, when in actuality he is drawing a diagram in order to figure out what Morgane really ordered. Knowing that he will need time, he directs Oceanus to keep the Jellicent occupied with a nod and a voiceless order. Oceanus nods back quickly, and immediately turns back to the Jellicent, grinning like mad to hide his fear.

"Excellent choices, my good sirs and madam! Would any of you be interested in any appetizers before our succulent main course? Perhaps a toe or a finger to sample before the rest of the body is brought out? We also have a fine assortment of caviar from all over Fizzytopia..."

Alphonse seems interested at this proposition. "Caviar, you say? Do you, by chance, have Carvanha roe supplied today?"

"Carvanha roe?" Lord Wormwood sniffs indignantly. "Oh, certainly they would have that... to serve to the Poochyena afterward! What low-class garbage."

"I will have you know that the Carvanha bred on my father's ocean property produce caviar that has bested the finest Milotic caviar in blind taste-tests all across the waters of Fizzytopia!" Alphonse narrows his eyes, clearly irritated by Lord Wormwood's assessment.

"Is that so, old boy?" Lord Wormwood adjusts his monocle and chuckles condescendingly. "I refuse to believe it until I try it... even if the caviar was as grand as you claim, this establishment is not serving your father's fabled caviar, is it?"

"How could they possibly claim to have an assortment of the finest caviar in all of Fizzytopia if they do not serve my father's?"

"The two of you are being absolutely insufferable right now," Lady Morgane growls before wrapping a tentacle around Lawrence. "You would not engage in such petty arguments, would you, my dear Lawrence?"

Seeing Morgane lavish Lawrence with such affection shuts both Jellicent up immediately, as they seethe with envy from across the table. It is around this time that Wallace clears his throat, hoping that repeating the orders would not lead to a dramatic failure on his part. Fortunately for him, Morgane gives him a disinterested nod after he recites the orders back to the table and reassures them that drinks would be coming shortly. Despite the fact that Morgane does not look the least bit impressed by Wallace's correct answer, the look in Oceanus' eyes clearly displays how grateful he is for figuring out the riddle.

"Please do not keep our guests waiting," Oceanus says politely as he points toward the kitchen, ushering Wallace to go pick up the drinks. Serving pad in hand, Wallace and his undefeated Elekid does as they are told, and head towards the kitchen to grab some House Red, House White and a glass of champagne. As Wallace approaches the kitchen door, he becomes more and more aware of the muffled cries that seem to be coming from the other side. Cautiously opening the door, Wallace peers inside the small, yet extravagent kitchen, and comes face to face with the main course, laid out on a table that takes up almost the entire kitchen space... An obscenely obese man with a fine silk gag in his mouth and arms and legs bound with exquisite gold rope has been dressed in a tuxedo which barely fits him. His brow is absolutely drenched in sweat and his wrists and legs are red and raw from struggling against his bonds. Though he initially appears too fatigued to struggle, his deadened eyes light up when he sees the live human butler, and he seems to refresh his attempts to get free upon seeing another living being. Though his muffled attempts at communicating are inaudible as a result of the gag, his eyes speak volumes to Wallace. Clearly, he sees Wallace as a potential savior from this horrific predicament.

On the other side of the poor soul are the bottles and glasses Wallace needs to carry out his order. Certainly, with the morbidly obese man bound and gagged, he would pose little threat if Wallace chose to simply walk past him and carry out his order. Then again... Should he? It was certainly a heavy decision... No pun intended.

How will Wallace and Crixus respond?

Aw hell yeah! Levin's ego grew even larger with his latest success. It had taken a little bit of help from the dead butler, but he figured the riddle in time. The Jellicent bastard didn't even give him a second look and simply nodded, but he was still alive, that was what mattered. Crix let out a noticeable sigh of relief, and a world made of lead, rock and iron was seemingly lifted off of Oceanus's shoulders. The idiot.

Before the display of affection between Morgane and Lawrence could turn into hot jelly-on-jelly action right in front of him, Levin turned his eyes from the table and looked around. The next logical step would be to go fetch the drinks, which meant he had to find the kitchen. For a theatre so neatly kept, he figured places would be easier to find, but all the doors looked the same...

"Please do not keep our guests waiting", he heard Oceanus say. Back to being good ol' chap Wallace Dornez... He couldn't possibly imagine how stressful this had to be for poor Crix, who had to endure this façade with little alternative. But the young Elekid had remained remarkably focused the entire time... If this adventure had brought any good so far, it was turning Crix from an impulsive hot-head to a more wise and cautious Pokémon. If they ever made it out alive, his new attitude could prove very helpful in dealing with the array of colorful personalities Levin had gathered on his team...

Pointing to a small, unremarkable door, Oceanus urged him to go get the drinks. Walking with a hasty step, but trying his best to maintain what in his mind should be an "impecable posture", Levin made his way to the kitchen, accompanied by Crixus, the Undefeated Elekid.
As he approached the door, muffled sounds from within became clearer and intensified with every step. Reaching the kitchen door, he slowly opened it, more than just a little shaken by the moans of anguish inside. Either he was about to lay eyes on someone - or something - in distress, or a scene reminiscent of Pyramid Head's glorious debut. Which pretty much amounted to the same.

The room was much more magnificent on the inside than he had imagined, both in the extravagant decoration and the amount of consumables. Actually, for such a small space, it was probably too heavily stocked... A large amount of kitchenware, barrels, boxes and various other containers, drawers that could be used to keep spices or creepier stuff, an assortment of bottles that were probably worth a fortune wherever money actually meant something, a big fat sweaty man in a tuxedo, bound and laid on a table in the centre of the kitchen... Why did they keep such a huge amount of alcoholic drinks anyway? Did ghosts even get drunk? ... Wait, a man?

Levin's attention shifted to the huge specimen in the middle of the kitchen. Considering it occupied most of his field of vision, it was a wonder that he'd completely neglected it at first. Aware of someone's presence, the man was revitalized, motioning and moaning as hard as he could when the realization set in that somebody else was here and wasn't dead yet. No doubt he was going to be the main course for the Jellicent, which begged the question of why they bothered putting him in a tuxedo that clearly couldn't have been easy to dress. There was sweat all over the place, and a mean little voice in the back of Levin's head remarked that there was fat all over the place too.

The man, in short, was a colossal moron. First, he had allowed himself to become a legged whale. Second, he also allowed himself to get caught. Third, he actually believed Levin would just untie him and all would be good or something. He sighed, walked closer to the man and whispered.

- Listen friend, even if I did let you go, how far do you think you'd make it? You certainly don't expect to run out of here, do you? Maybe rolling would get you somewhere, but not far enough. Besides, what do you think would happen to me if I released you? Sorry mate. You let yourself get caught, I'm not doing the same.

Turning his back to the terrified man, he began looking for the drinks. He tried his best to block out the muffled pleas for help, but it was getting annoying. He had his own problems to take care of, couldn't he see that? After finding the House Red and House White, all that was missing was Morgane's champagne. Then, he felt a nudge on the leg.

- Elekid, elek? Ele-elekid!

Crix was clearly not happy with his trainer's decision to let the man die. What, he didn't like it either! It was the only choice he had! But the Elekid wasn't having any of it. Walking to the table, the Electric-Type began looking for the ropes to untie the poor soul. Damnit.

- Crix, stop. Okay, I'll try to think of something... But if you just release him, we die.

He had to think... Would Oceanus be his accomplice on this? He had been helpful so far, but it seemed to him that the butler was more preoccupied with himself than with Levin's own well-being. If something happened to the Jellicent's dinner it would be his dead neck on the line, so probably not. But on the other hand, it would make everything so much easier if Oceanus did play along on this... Should he call him over?

No. Not this time. I'm not taking chances; until proven otherwise, I can trust nobody except myself. Determined and with a new plan in mind, he approached the helpless man once again and whispered instructions to his ear.

- Listen close. If you want to have the smallest chance of surviving this and not make me die in the process, follow my instructions to the letter. When I give the sign, I expect at least the butler to come rushing in, and possibly some Jellicent. When you see them, play dead. I'm going to make them believe you're not good to eat, so it won't help your case if you're squirming like you are now. It's riding on you.

Turning around, he reached for a PokéBall in his pocket and released his Magby, Magnus. Immediately Crix started glaring ominously at his sworn enemy, but didn't make a move. The Magby, in turn, looked around curiously, possibly to assess how much of the place he could burn down in a single Flamethrower.

- Magnus, pay attention now. I'll let you burn some real stuff soon, I promise. Do some real damage and piss off a lot of people and all that. But for now, please... - he reached for his pad and took a clean piece of paper - just burn this. I want this kitchen to smell, but not be, burnt.

The Magby looked at Levin mockingly, as if deciding whether to comply or just go full-blown arsonist, but luckily he obeyed. Blowing the weakest possible flame, he set the paper on fire and it was rapidly consumed.

- Good. One last favour... Blow some Smog in here. It's very important for me! And who knows... - he grinned as he motioned to the fat man with his head - you might just get to poison someone. - he concluded, his voice now barely more than a whisper. Then, speaking louder, he told the would-be dinner - Might wanna hold your breath for a while!

This time the Magby happily complied, and slowly started to expel a wave of purple smoke that began filling the room. Before too much could be accumulated, Levin covered his mouth, returned the Magby and urged Crix to run for the door, hastily opening it and pretending to almost trip for a little bit of theatrics, that would no doubt catch the eyes of Oceanus - who, if he guessed right, should be anxiously staring at the door waiting for young Wallace to return.

Walking rapidly (but elegantly once more) towards the dead butler, he noticed the small amount of Smog he'd allowed Magby to blow seeping out through the open door. Wonderful.

Approaching Oceanus, he spoke in a barely audible voice.

- Oceanus sir, I'm afraid we might have a problem. Something is wrong with that human, it's emitting some toxic gas through his sweat! He might have died from stress in that kitchen, perhaps the body got infected? I know humans, and that one is in no condition to be consumed, unless we want to risk the health of our patrons. Please allow me to dispose of the body before it contaminates the rest of the ingredients...

Either this backfired horribly, or Oceanus would have something else prepared to offer the guests just in case. Either way, alarming the Jellicent was probably not in the butler's list of priorities, so Levin could at least predict somewhat reliably that he'd keep it quiet. Hopefully the mixture of Smog and smell from the burnt paper would convince Oceanus that the man shouldn't serve as dinner and allow him to "take out the trash". Damn, I shouldn't be taking these risks for some jackass that couldn't even watch after his own health, I have enough to worry about already!...

Balmund - "Seviper, huh?" William smirks. "So, women find your giant snake intimidating... I see how it is." He nudges Balmund and gives him a wink. Though he seems to be enjoying kidding around with the dragon tamer, there is a general aura around William that suggests a bit of uneasiness regarding their current situation. Even so, he listens with a sympathetic expression as Balmund relates the story of how he obtained his Aerodactyl, and the "addictions" that have kept him running low on cash since that purchase. "Mm, we all have our demons, man..." William nods knowingly. "I ain't the type to judge."

As William's expression becomes more serious and he explains exactly what he intends to do, Balmund can't help but wonder if his efforts will even amount to anything. Even if William were to be successful in saving Kaida from the wreck, chances are that it would create a time paradox or alternate reality in which the William in this world would be left alone, suffering. Even so, Balmund can almost picture what William must have gone through over the past decade or so in dealing with this tragedy. Sleepless nights, screaming at the dark... horrific nightmares if sleep ever did come... every morning awakening to a bleak, empty world without his daughter. He, in some ways, had become the park in which his little girl had been buried: a haunted shell of his former self, overcome with ghosts, unable to let go of the past. Even if his efforts were to amount to nothing, Balmund cannot find it in his heart to say no to this man. William grins when Balmund suggests offering an Aerodactyl ride to young William and his child.

"I told you it was a dream o'mine, right? A real, live Aerodactyl... Kaida loves ancient Pokemon just like her dad. She'd be so happy to see one, let alone ride one. You fly safe with her now, y'hear me? I ain't f***in' around." William laughs, but Balmund can sense the seriousness of his concern. When Balmund suggests wrecking the Ghost Train, however, William sighs, rubbing his head as if trying to think of the right words to say.

"I wish I could, Duke... Y'know, losin' a child is a fate I'd never wish on anyone. Not even the worst person, but... that's not how this whole thing works. Yer' from Blackthorn, man... Surely you remember what they say about the old dragons, how they keep the balance in this world." William shakes his head. "For some f***ed-up reason, they let this tragedy happen, Duke. They let it happen to me, to so many people, 'cause it's part of the balance of life and death. People get sick, there are disasters, wars, awful s**t, and we can't change that. Even if we did, somethin' else on the timeline would have t'give. Some other tragedy would take its place, to make up for it. Balance, Duke. That's why these damn Dusknoir are after us. They know we're here muckin' things up where we're not s'posed to. The only reason this'll work... The only reason I know this'll work... is 'cause I plan on keepin' the balance." William grimaces a bit, as if holding back tears. "I'm a s***ty sacrifice, but Dialga'll have to f***in' deal with it."

Kurthnaga lands in front of the ghost train with one hour and twenty minutes to go before the event that will change the Phantom Isle Theme Park forever. To Duke and William, it's strange how... well, how normal everything seems right now. Children walking down the boardwalk with their parents, licking Pichu-shaped ice cream pops and chattering about their favorite rides... Trainers and their Pokemon excitedly looking at maps and playing with theme park merchandise, still with fresh tags attached... Park mascots being perky and annoying as always. It's a beautiful day at the park, without a single cloud in the sky. The atmosphere makes Balmund wonder, if just for a moment, whether or not the accident even happened at all. Perhaps they had already changed the timeline so severely that the accident was no longer a part of the narrative of the park. Yet even with their colorful, peaceful surroundings, neither Balmund nor William can shake that lingering feeling of dread... That bit of premonition that nothing is really as it seems.

William dismounts from Kurth, and reaches out to Balmund, offering a hand to shake. "Whatever happens next... Man, just know that I owe you big time. I won't forget that. You're a good man, Duke." William tries to smile, though his face seems stuck, fighting against whatever emotions may be hiding beneath his exterior. "C'mon, we gotta get Will and Kaida to agree to this. I think I see them over there..." William points in the direction of a young man, who appears to be getting some death-stares from some parents around him. A tiny voice rings out beside him, girlish and clearly young, probably no older than 5 or so:

"Daddy, that boy over there said there's a Sally-mence doin' tricks! That's fuggin' awesome! I bet he kicks asssss!" The little girl grins widely, doing a near-perfect imitation of her father's way of speaking.

"Kaida, baby, those are grown-up words..." The younger William attempts to be stern, but for a man with such a wicked reputation, he seems to be failing miserably.

"I'm 5 and a half!" Kaida holds up five fingers on one hand and a bent pinky on the other. "I made it ta' the other hand. That's growned-up, ya know!"

Young William simply laughs, and shrugs sheepishly at the other parents, who have been covering the ears of their children in hopes of preventing them from imitating Kaida. The Older William chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "Yep... That's us, all right."

What will Balmund do?

Balmund remained silent after William explained his intentions. It wasn't like he didn't have anything to say, on the contrary. However, he didn't need to say anything. It was a silence of begrudging understanding. The man had a point. It was a matter of keeping balance, a concept which he could understand very well. Even if the train were to be stopped, lives were meant to die at that moment in time. Save one, and so dies another, and William had intended in trading his own for his daughter's sake. "Alright man," he then finally said, "plan A, it is. I'll keep her safe even if it costs me, I swear."

They finally land at the entrance of the Ghost Train, everything still looking as radiantly perfect as always which made it all the harder to believe that an imminent catastrophe was about to befall on these poor men, women and children. Well, as normal a day as it is considering they just landed with one big, bad Aerodactyl. Balmund could already feel several gazes turning towards them. William is first to get off the ride, and extends his arm Balmund's to properly thank him for the favor, whatever might happen up next. "You're a good man too, William. Far more than you give yourself credit for." Balmund said, as he returned the gesture. William then looks for his targets before managing to identify them from the crowd. With the young girl remarking about the fuggin' awesome Sally-mence doing tricks in a manner all too similar to her Dad's way of talking, there was no mistaking it at all. "A chip off the old block alright. The beauty of this is that we won't have to go to them, but rather, they'll come to us. It's showtime! Kurth, Roar!"

Takeo:Honestly, while I would have preferred that you hadn’t edited your last reply, these two are much better than what you’d given me previously. Thank you for putting in the effort and I hope to continue seeing these sort of replies from you in the future.

Having arrived at an intersection and rightly deducing your surroundings as a maze, you choose the left path, hoping it will get you out. As you step into the left corridor, the shadows envelop the light from behind, leaving only a dim glow for you to find your way. The scuttling sounds are a little farther now, but the shadows around you seem more sinister than before, if it was even possible. Maybe you shouldn’t have yelled at them earlier; they seem to have made it their duty to make things slightly more difficult for you.

Further and further you walk with your only companions being the Vulpix in your arms and the shifting shadows on the walls, still dogging your footsteps. Oddly enough, they seem to have thickened while you walked or maybe more have come to join them to watch the funny pair star in their own horror movie. The creepy cackling has started up again and this time it’s accompanied by a poke in the middle of your back. Startled, you whirl around, but there’s nothing there. Or, at least, nothing you can see. Cautiously, you begin walking again.

After another moment, Grace yips in surprise and pain, her ears having been tugged hard to the side, and she cowers into your side, ears flat against her head, as the shadows begin snickering, their disembodied voices bouncing off the walls and echoing through the corridor, making it sound like more and more shadows have come to join in on the fun. Underneath the laughter, you catch a low sound coming from behind you, but the only things you can see now are yourself and Grace; the shadows have blotted everything else out.

You strain your ears and the sound comes again: Thump. A moment later: Thump. And again: Thump. It takes you a second to realize that it’s footsteps and then another to realize that they seem to be picking up speed. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thumpthumpthumpthump. It sounds like, whatever it is, it’s heading straight for you!

What will you do?

~!~

As Hallow stepped into the left corridor,
He turned to watch as the shadows enveloped the light from behind, leaving only a dim glow for him to find his way.
"Looks like there's no going back,"

The scuttling sounds were a little farther now, but the shadows around him were more sinister than before, they seemed to have made it their goal to make his life a living hell.

He walked further and further with his only companion being the Vulpix in his arms.
The shifting shadows on the walls, still dogging his footsteps. ...am I dreaming or have more gathered...,

By now Hallow's nerves were so on edge, any interaction would set him off, the creepy cackling started again and this time it was accompanied by a poke in the middle of his back,
Startled, he quickly whirled around, only to find there was nothing there,
Grace started to bark,
"Who's there!?,"

Grace yipped in surprise and pain, her ears were tugged hard to the side, cowering into his side, ears flattened against her head, as the shadows began to snicker, their disembodied voices bouncing off the walls and echoing through the hall, making it sound like more and more shadows had come to join in on the fun.

Underneath the laughter, he caught a low sound coming from behind him,
"...whats that?...,"
but the only thing he could see now were himself and Grace; the shadows had blotted everything else out.

Hallow strained his ears and heard it again: Thump.
"There it is again,"
A moment later: Thump.
"Its getting louder,"
And again: Thump.
It took him a second to realize that it was footsteps and then another to realize that they seemed to be picking up speed. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thumpthumpthumpthump.
whatever it was, was heading straight for him!

The laughter, snickers, and whispers where slowly getting to him,
Hallow felt trapped,
There was no where to run or hide,
In frustration He stomped his foot down,
"I'm not running you hear," he yelled to the darkness,
Vulpix sensing his feelings jumped out of his arms, in attack mode, it's tails raised and head forward,
"If you wanna fight, lets fight!,"

Dark Searchman - A hundred sets of eyes are upon Hyrem as he approaches the strange Mantine, apparently having fallen under her spell. The Mantine beckons him forward, the mouth of the costume curled into a demented smile. "Yes, that's it... The other spirits bid you welco- AUGH!" The Mantine reels backwards as Hyrem suddenly reveals that he broke free of the Mantine's trance, and she is now missing two eyes as a result. Two eyes fly from the wall at incredible speeds to replace the ones that have been poked out of her costume, and they sink into the old sockets as if they were made to fit there. As this is happening, the reckless Hyrem positions himself between Delilah and the Harvester, and drops the oran berry on the ground before her, ordering her to eat up quickly while he can protect her. The Harvester of Eyes turns her attention on the Frillish, who have been ordered to get up close and Bubble as many of the eyes on her costume as they can. Before they attack, however, the eyes glow with an eerie, white light... Nothing seems to happen as a result, but the Frillish are definitely uneasy about what they've observed. Even so, both Frillish attempt to Bubble the costume eyes, and together they are able to irritate some of the blinded eyes even further, though their bubble does not seem to do much damage. The eyes on the wall focus on Delilah and glow in the same eerie way that the eyes on the costume did earlier, but once again, nothing seems to happen. Delilah does shudder a bit, however, as if something dreadful is about to come. Despite the premonition, however, Delilah is undeterred, and once her trainer moves out of the way, she unleashes a torrent of Scalding water at the Mantine, only to have the costumed creature deftly dodge out of the way! Cackling wickedly, the Mantine growls, "You will stop interfering with Hyrem's destiny, foolish one..." before her eyes focus on Delilah and try to shoot a Simple Beam at her! Fortunately, Delilah is also quick on her feet, and she manages to avoid being hit by the concentrated beam attack. The Frillish use this opportunity to poke as many eyes as they can out of the costume. Unfortunately, they are only able to get about one set of eyes each before the Mantine whips around, motioning with her fin to the eyes on the wall. The eyes on the right wall focus on the blue Frillish, while the eyes on the left wall focus on the pink one... They unleash their own Simple Beams at the two Jellyfish Pokemon, who both suffer a direct hit. Though neither appear damaged by the attack, they both look a little dumbfounded...
Faint laughter begins to echo in Hyrem's head. The laughter is vaguely familiar, but Hyrem can't quite place it... It sounds like two distinct voices.

The Harvester of Eyes sure didn't see this coming! Hyrem had taken out two of the eyes and was ready to make sure she paid for all the lives she had destroyed, but that would be easier said than done, and Hyrem would quickly find that out. Just before the two Frillish attacked the eyes, they glow with a creepy white light, but nothing appears to happen... the Frillish looked very uneasy, however... as if something was coming, and they'd have to be on their guard for a while. For now, they were free to blow lots of Bubbles against the costume eyes, but once again they simply irritated the eyes instead of actually destroying them. The wall eyes also glow, this time against Delilah, but again, nothing happens. Both Delilah and Hyrem knew that this didn't mean nothing would happen. This had to be Future Sight... something Hyrem would need to keep in mind going into his next set of orders. Meanwhile, Delilah had finished her Oran Berry and was now ready to join the fight and Scald the mascot. She tries to unleash the hot burst of water, but the Harvester dodges the attack easily. She cackles at the wasted effort and then says, "You will stop interfering with Hyrem's destiny, foolish one..."

"I am only getting started! My trainer's life is on the line, and I can't back down now!" Delilah says, her own courage rising along with Hyrem's.

But the Harvester's stare was Simple... one Beam, one attack that would negate Delilah's ability. Fortunately, Delilah could get out of the way of that crippling attack, but two more Simple Beams hit the Frillish, stopping their abilities from helping. They did poke out two of the eyes on the costume, only to have two more from the wall replace them. Perhaps it was time for some stronger moves to make things easier.

"Okay, everyone attack the eyes on the wall with their Waterfall attacks, then surround that costume with some Surf! Also, be ready for attacks that can come out of nowhere!" Hyrem emphasized to the Pokemon. "Those were probably Future Sight attacks, I don't know how many of those any of you can take!" He knew Future Sight can potentially do a good amount of damage, and with all those eyes... that's potentially a lot of attacks to come in the future!

Hahaha...

Hehehe...

Laughter? Hyrem asked in his thoughts. Great, now he was going mad, he thought he heard-

Hahaha...

Hehehe...

No, there it was again! They sounded familiar too... Almost like...

A thought suddenly came to Hyrem. This laughter... Maybe it could guide him to them... Maybe he could find those eyes before Delilah and the Frillish attacked! Maybe he could still save Tuner and T.A.!

King Ghidorah: Though you remain paralyzed on the floor, your Krabby glows and his form shifts into a larger, but still familiar shape. Perhaps fighting off the Mismagius’ Hypnosis or maybe the trouble you are currently in gave him enough incentive to evolve, but why and how doesn’t matter; the large black ball hovering in front of the Mismagius isn’t getting any smaller and every moment you waste is one moment closer to a whole lot of pain.

Re-energized and confident in the strength of your new Kingler, you give him his orders and sit back, hoping he’d be able to pull through for you. It was all you could do now, what with being paralyzed and now having a very heavy Kingler sitting on your chest. Thankfully, Kingler scuttles off your chest after only a moment and stares the Mismagius down, his claws starting to catch Fire as he Crosses them in front of him. He leaps forward only a moment before the Mismagius releases the Ball of Shadows and she screeches as the hit grazes her, her attack barely missing your head. If you could move, you would have scrambled away, but your heart is pounding away at the close call.

Then, you feel the floor rumble and decently-sized rocks begin to rise, glowing with Power. Kingler’s body glows white, as well, before he tosses the Ancient rocks towards the Mismagius, who is able to dodge about half of them. She hisses at the two of you once the barrage is over and sends out a burst of glowing Leaves that Magically home in on Kingler. She doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to them, as only a few actually reach the Pincer Pokemon, before she flees, yelling venomously at you two on her way.

“You will never escape me, Hugo! No matter where you go, I will find you! I will make you regret the day you decided to leave me!”

Her voice slowly disappears, but the vow hangs eerily in the air. With a shiver, you find that you can now move again and you shakily push yourself up to lean against the wall. Though you’ve forced the Mismagius away, you and Kingler are still stuck in the room, but a glance around tells you that it’s not the same one as before. For one, you can actually see the sky and for another, the floor’s made of stone. The walls are too high and too smooth for you to climb, though, and you can’t quite tell how thick the walls are.

What will you do?

Hugo’s vision went hazy. The room seemed to spin as he gasped for air. His adrenaline rush was ending at an alarming pace and in an instant, Hugo collapsed into the corner and crumpled into a heap onto the ground.

Hugo blacked out.

He awoke a few minutes later…or at least he thought it was a few minutes…it could have been a few hours…or a few days. Time seemed to stop in this psychological prison.

He rubbed his eyes as tiny bubbles popped in his face. He looked up and saw Kingler standing over top of him. Kingler smiled upon noticing Hugo’s response. Hugo was relieved to see his Pincer friend. Kingler really came through for Hugo when he needed to, and Hugo was eternally grateful. If Kingler hadn’t evolved, the Mismagius could have destroyed them both. Either way, he was happy and he threw his arms around the crab’s body.

“Thank you friend,” Hugo said.

*click click * responded the Kingler.

Hugo got to his feet and examined the walls. He couldn’t climb out. He knocked to attempt to judge their thickness, but still couldn’t tell. He could see the sky at the top. He knew he had to get out. He reached down for his other Pokeballs. For Throh or Rhyhorn or Murkrow. Surely they could help.

But they were still gone. It was just Hugo and Kingler. Hugo’s mind raced. Should he try to have Kingler smash through the walls with his pincers? What if the wall was too thick and he damaged his claws? Then they would be doomed for sure.

Then it dawned on him. Surf.

Hugo climbed onto Kingler’s back.

“Kingler, I want you to use Surf over and over again. Try to smash through the walls with the waves. If they won’t smash, fill the room with water and swim out through the top.”

gmoyes - Alex explains to the Mew that though "Red" appears to be the protagonist of the game, he is likely not the Red that Mew once knew. A strange sound emanates from the pixelated Mew... something akin to a sigh. Alex then goes on to ask the Mew for help, sensing that this Mew is no ordinary game construct.

"It is as I feared," the Mew finally says. "We tried to make this little coffin bright. Colorful. We tried to fill him with dreams, keep the spirit pacified. It was not enough for him to be in control of his world. No. He wants control of yours, as well!" The Mew cries out in anger. "He has learned how to escape the game, has he? Very well. If it is as I predict, the rules of your game will not apply to him, either. He will find ways around them." Mew's eyes begin to glow strangely. "Ah, but I am a bit of a traditionalist... The rules are that I cannot let you back into your own world without a battle. Hehehe... This time, it will not be so easy. One lucky shot will not be enough to save you."

The screen utilizes the message, "MEW used GLITCH!" Suddenly, all of Alex's hand-selected moves are replaced with GLITCH! What on Earth was going on now? Why was everything so... random? Mew seems to smirk at your confusion, and decides to explain. "You think I would let you get away with spamming Blizzard or Tri Attack? No. We will let fate decide this battle. There is no telling what will happen... You will get your moves back IF you win."

Red suddenly chimes in, having been silent up until now. "You're a PORYGON, aren't you? A creature made in cyberspace? Maybe you could somehow analyze what's going on...? I dunno, it's a long shot, but maybe it could work!"

A long shot, indeed. "Porygon" could try and take a turn out to analyze the move, or he could go right into battle and see if luck will be on his side... Either way, Mew looks like it's ready to battle...

What will Alex do?

Alex was glad the Mew would help them out, regardless if they had to battle it. Though one of the lines struck him. “The rules of your game may not apply to him either.” Was it saying that it though they were from another game? There goes the Matrix theory again. Either way, if whatever escaped from here could break the rules of reality, that would be disastrous. They really needed to get out of this cursed game to put a stop to it.

Then the psychic type threw them a curveball. All of his moves had turned into GLITCH. He inwardly groaned. Why weren’t things ever easy? Red added his input stating that as a Porygon, he may have the ability to figure out what the attacks do. Alex was a little unsure. He wasn’t an actual Porygon and how would being one help hack the very game they were in? Then again, he must have managed to change a little bit in order to use the textboxes. He figured that if he was to battle, he must figure out what his moves actually do. Fortunately they had an advantage of having a bag full of Full Restores and Revives. Ninety nine of each item if he remembered. And as soon as he thought of it, the song ‘Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ popped up into his head. Shaking his head to clear it of that thought, he opened up another textbox to tell his plan to Red. “I’M GOING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THESE MOVES DO. REMEMBER, IF I FALL SACRIFICE FREEDOM TO REVIVE ME. THIS GUY ALREADY BROKE THE GAME, SO LET’S TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SPOILS. WE HAVE A SHITTON OF POTIONS SO WE CAN ENDURE QUITE A LOT. HOWEVER, I HAVE A FEELING THAT WE CAN’T PP STALL TO WIN THIS SO THE QUICKER I UNDERSTAND THE MOVES, THE BETTER.”

While he was unsure how exactly he could figure out what the moves do, he figured that it would be a good start if he opened up the attack menu and stare at it for a bit.

Shadowshocker - Scherza's inappropriate outburst causes Pyrrhos to burst out laughing, though he does his best to hide his amusement by placing two candle-studded appendages over his mouth. The beauty spreads the fingers out on her left hand just enough to reveal an eye that appears to have been slashed in half by some sort of claw. She looks at Shadow for a moment before bursting into tears, her fingers tightening back together, concealing the eye once again.

"Oh, sir... Your friends remind me so much of my baby bird... Oh, my poor little Joy!" The Beauty sobs violently, and blood-soaked tears drip from the hands that are clasped over her face. She tries to describe her Joy to Shadow through the tears. "She was young... so young, just like your friends... the sweetest little Vullaby, with a skull cracked right down the middle to hide her rump. She liked tha-aat skull... did not *sniff* want to get rid of it, oh no.. I wish I had died first. She... she could have used mine, if she wanted to. I have no use for... it... now." The Beauty's voice is deep with sorrow and regret. Though her sentiments are a bit morbid, Shadow can sense how difficult the grieving process has been for this trainer.

She tries to compose herself, and lifts herself to stand, though Shadow immediately wishes that she didn't; a string of intestines hangs from a horrific gash over her lower midsection, which was not immediately apparent when she was hunched over. Clearly, whatever had attacked her was completely intent on ensuring her death. "I... I don't remember my death very well. It was far from here, on an island famous for its wide variety of flying Pokemon. My friends had encouraged me to catch a new Pokemon, like a Rufflet or a Murkrow... not to replace Joy, oh no! No one could ever replace her... but so that the love in the heart does not go to waste pining away for a Pokemon that... that can no longer receive it. I was investigating a nest deep in the forest when something attacked me. I'm not sure what it was... I think I went into shock before I realized what was happening to me. death came pretty fast... I wish I could tell you more." The Beauty shudders with a bone-rattling sigh. "I do remember Joy's death clear as day... We went adventuring here in the Theme Park where I had caught her originally, just a couple of reckless young girls, she and I. We were wandering around the top floor of the Hotel parking complex... It was three years to the day after I caught her in that very complex as a trainer just starting out. Both times we went, we didn't have the guts to go after the ghosts in the park or actually go inside the Hotel, but we thought we might see something interesting out there, or even catch her a sister or brother to play with. We didn't see anything at first, but eventually we started to hear the sound of birds crying out overhead. There was a flock of Mandibuzz flying above us, and Joy was so excited, flapping her little wings... She wanted to meet with them so badly. I imagine they were family to her still, despite the bond she and I shared. Well, they wanted to see her, too... They dove at her with this crazed look in their eyes. They became like shadows... formless, black monstrosities. I have never seen anything like it. They knocked her out of my arms before I could even blink. I picked her up and started running for my life, but it was... it was too late. They had... they had already... it only took one attack to..." The Beauty does not finish her sentence, for the emotion becomes too overwhelming for her to continue.

"Flock of Mandibuzz, huh..." Pyrrhos seems thoughtful. "Never heard of them doing that before, especially to one of their own. Supposed to be scavengers, aren't they?"

"I know what I saw," the Beauty grunts angrily. "They were not like any other Mandibuzz I've ever seen, and I have studied them extensively, both before and after what happened to Joy."

Pyrrhos turns towards Shadow, a look of concern clear on his face. "It is rare that I wander outside the Hotel, but perhaps a little trip is in order... The parking lot is right outside the hotel, but as I am sure you've guessed, it has not been used in years. I cannot guarantee your safety should you decide to go there. Do you have any more questions for our Beauty here, or shall we go?"

"Merle," the girl mutters darkly. "My name is Merle."

"Ah, yes. A pleasure, Merle. Now, do you have any more questions for Merle, or shall we head off?" Pyrrhos looks at the scientist inquisitively. How will Shadow respond?

While the ladybirds on his shoulders trembled at the sight of Merle's grislier injuries, Shadow repeated the newly obtained information in his head for sake of clarification. Merle's "Joy" was a Vullaby that was killed in an encounter with a rogue flock of Mandibuzz. Merle, unable to ever get over the incident, eventually went on a search for another avian specimen and unfortunately perished in the attempt. Subsequently, her primary and unresolved motivations led her back to the scene of the crime - which happened to double as a terminus for the deceased.

Limited though was the data Shadow received about Merle's demise, based on Merle's description Shadow could find no location that matched other entries in his memory banks. It was likely that Merle's death wasn't so much a sinister conspiracy as opposed to a case of sheer bad luck - perhaps, the owner of the nest she investigated was certain that she posed a threat to its young and instinctively did her in. Joy's passing, on the other hand, both answered and opened up various points of investigation. Merle's relatively recent death could likely be placed after the incident that ruined the fairground - possibly drawing a link between it and Joy's death, given how most stories seemed to place the incident as the origin of all the associated paranormal occurrences. Based on both Pyrrhos and Merle's findings, something must have taken place that made the Mandibuzz abort normally expected behaviour.

Still, it ultimately wasn't much to go on. The man that had rudely rejected Merle was not incorrect in his statements - while it might have made sense for a criminal to return to the scene of a crime, this was a completely different scenario. Merle's own instincts were not a guarantee that Joy shared the same sentiments; why, exactly, would a victim of unprecedented assault want to return to the scene of traumatic incidence? If, based on Merle's testimony, she had attempted to provide Joy with medical attention that ultimately failed, would Joy's spirit not have clung around her instead of staying at the scene of her death? Either way, there might not be a great possibility of finding Joy, regardless of the kinship between Trainer and Pokemon - though if Merle's account was to be believed, Shadow honestly did not consider the possibility of Joy not wanting to see Merle. On the other hand few could tell what might occur when spectral elements factored into the equation.

"Just a few more questions, Merle. I need to know of your attempts to locate Joy - any information you've tried to gather could be helpful. After that, I think we should be able to commence the search for Joy, though if you could come along... that might be for the best. You know Joy better than I do," offered Shadow, before he turned to Pyrrhos. "If it comes down to our survival, I think my team should be able to handle it. I have a few senior operatives that we can rely on in states of emergency. One thing, though - do you think it'd be alright if Merle joined us in the search? Would she be in great danger or risk? And, uh..." The scientist paused, trying his best not to appear disgusted. "Might it be possible to alleviate her present injuries? It seems to be rather inconvenient for her to move about in this state..."

Itzatrap- Both Rob and Melantha admire the "hologram" of Panpour that the pair have received; despite its initial appearance, its ability to manipulate objects and cry like a real Pokemon is absolutely astounding. Though Rob and Melantha are mesmerized by the creature and are haunted by the question of whether or not this Pokemon could truly be considered "real," they both eventually come to the conclusion that it is probably better for both of them to focus on the task at hand. After thinking it through with Melantha's eager support, Rob finally decides that the water symbol should go on the lightning Pokeball, the lighting/water symbol should go on the water Pokeball, and the lightning symbol should go on the water Pokeball. Before Rob and Melantha can even so much as lift a finger, however, the energetic Panpour rearranges the symbols for them just as Rob had specified, then gives them a big thumbs up, as if to say that he intends to help them in the testing process.

After a moment's pause, a bell rings and a door suddenly opens. You may proceed, the voice says, without a hint of emotion to indicate whether or not Rob and Melantha answered correctly. Even so, the pair at least consider themselves fortunate to be progressing. Panpour claps his hands happily and follows them into the next room. Perhaps he will be useful for a future test...

Rob and Melantha are happy to see that this room is a little less bare and sterile than the last; in fact, it looks as if all 649 known Pokemon are represented on the walls by the illustrations used in their standard Pokedex entries. Each illustration has a small red button beneath it. Rob and Melantha study the drawings as extensively as they can, but none of them seem to jump out in particular, and they seem to have been ordered by their Pokedex number as opposed to some sort of unusual sequence. The buttons beneath the Pokemon are all completely uniform, and the Pokemon themselves all seem accurately depicted from what the trainer and his Absol can see. There also does not seem to be any Pokemon missing; these assumptions, of course, are made without checking every single Pokemon on the wall, but these impressions of the room and its contents seem fairly solid. After considering the room for a little while, the Panpour cries out and turns the pair's attention to a poster on the ceiling, which looks like this (only probably better drawn). Rob waits for further instruction from the voices that seem to have taken residence within his head, but no such instruction comes. That said, Panpour seems quite enamored with the badly-drawn sign. Perhaps it would be wise to pay attention to it...

What will Rob and Melantha do?

Just as Rob was about to start changing the symbols on the Pokeballs, the Panpour seemed to be the one who wanted to do it. Rob and Melantha could only look as the monkey changed the symbols, giving them a thumbs up as it finished. "Thanks..." was all Rob could say, after all, he wasn't even sure the monkey was real.

"Nothing is happening...were we wrong?" Rob thought to himself. A bell suddenly rang, with a door opening right after. "You may proceed," the voice in the head said, "Is having one more voice in my head ever not going to feel weird?" Rob said to Melantha as they walked into the next room, Melantha shooting a look at her trainer after the bad joke, with the Panpour following them, clapping behind them.

The next room seemed a lot less clinical, with pictures of Pokemon all around. Though they were still trapped in this place, Rob and Melantha felt slightly happier as they noticed all Pokemon on the walls, although an odd button was placed underneath each picture, "Look! That's you!" Rob said to Melantha, pointing at the picture of an Absol, who ignored his trainer's comment as she continued to look around. The Panpour signaled the pair to look at the ceiling, both of them looking almost instantly.

"Huh...What is that?" The trainer asked, with Melantha shrugging, and the Panpour just looking at the poster above. "Sooooo....What are we suppose to do?" Rob asked. Someone was listening, he was sure of it, but no response came. "Okay, okay. There are Pokemon images all around us with buttons, and a weird painting above us..." Rob stared at the picture, trying to decipher what it meant, if it meant something. "That first picture looks like a shed or house, right?" "Ab-absol!" Melantha responded in agreement. "Minus m....I got it! It's a farm! Minus the m, it is far. The second one, it looks like caught, plus d, farcaughtd, makes no sense..." Rob took a closer look at the picture. "They are playing fetch! Plus d, Farfetch'd! It's a Pokemon!" Suddenly a light went off in his head "We are suppose to find the Pokemon from the poster in these pictures!" "Okay, the first one is the picture of a Budew, minus BU, it's a Dew. The second one is of a....gong! Dewgong! The second line is of a Dewgong! Now, the last one looks like a sweet potato...though no Pokemon name has anything to do with that...Yam! It's a Yam!" The excitement is Rob's voice seemed to slide off Melantha as she continued to stare at the picture, "The last picture seems to be making a noise, though the question mark...maybe it is asking something? Yamasking? No! Yanmask, that's it!"

Rob took out his Pokedex, looking up the numbers of each of the Pokemon names he got from the poster, Farfetch'd, Dewgong and Yanmask, just in case they were needed to search, "First one is Farfetch'd, which is number...." He scrolled down his Pokedex, looking for Pokemon whose name start with an F, "F...F...F...F...Farfetch'd! Number 83! Now Dewgong....Aha! Here, number 87!" He then proceeded to scroll through literally hundreds of names before finding his next Pokemon. "Yanmask! Number 562! There, now let's go look for them!" Rob told Melantha, and possibly the Panpour if it wanted to help now as well.

Takeo:
Feeling trapped and frustrated, you quickly find an outlet in the approaching…whatever it was, challenging it to a fight. Your Vulpix jumps out of your arms and prepares herself for a fight, as well, the two of you staring down the path you had just walked. The steps continue their approach, not even slowing for a second, and they almost seem to get heavier the closer they get.

ThumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHU—

The steps cut off suddenly and the resulting silence is deafening; the shadows had fallen silent too. The two of you remain rooted to the spot, confused but not quite willing to relax your guard. Everything is ominously still and you start getting the feeling that something is watching you. Or maybe several somethings.

When a shriek echoes out of the darkness, though, you flinch in surprise and yell when you suddenly find yourself swept off your feet, scraping a forearm and losing your breath as you hit the ground. Several whooshing noises have you looking up and you see that the shadows that had been following you have pulled themselves free from the walls, darting this way and that, creating a confusing, moving mass of darkness. Frantically, you look for your Vulpix and her yips bring your gaze to the center of that mass where you briefly catch glimpses of your terrified fox. On the other side of the mass, you can barely hear the steps start up again, but a huge rush of chilling air whips past you as the shadows all move further down the corridor, quickly melting into their surroundings. After a moment, it becomes obvious that your Vulpix is gone as well.

The scuttling sounds from before get louder even as a ghost drifts into view. Floating out of the darkness, its red eyes remain focused on you and its zipper-like mouth stretches into a broad, evil grin at the sight of you all alone.

“Were you the one who said he would fight me?” it asks sardonically before trailing its gaze down to where your Pokeballs normally were; all but one are gone. It returns those mocking red eyes to you and clucks mock-sympathetically. “Well, what are you going to do now? You only have one Pokemon.” Its grin widens even more. “And you’re on my battlefield.”

What will you do?

~!~

King Ghidorah:
You climb onto Kingler’s back before issuing your order, knowing that the maneuver could be dangerous but you had to try. And, without your other Pokemon, you couldn’t take any chances with Kingler’s well-being.

Kingler gives you a moment longer to get settled on his back before he uses his first Surf. A slight rumbling passes through your prison, but nothing extraordinary happens. Kingler continues with another Surf. This time, the rumbling of the room is louder and you can hear a decently-sized wave hit the other side of the wall behind you. Another Surf and the outside wave sounds even larger as the room shudders visibly. Another and it’s starting to sound like a battering ram. Again and you hear water slosh over the side of something; water is briefly visible on the upper edge of the wall behind you. One more and a wave of water pours over the wall in a waterfall, drenching you and Kingler even as it fills the room about a third. You tighten your grip on Kingler’s shell as he uses another Surf and another wave rushes in; the edge of the walls are almost reachable. Another Surf and it’s within your grasp as you reach out to grab it, balancing precariously on Kingler’s slippery shell. It takes you a few tries to actually get a hold on the wall, but you finally pull yourself up, glancing around to see where the two of you had ended up.

On the other side of the wall the water had been coming from is a large pool that may have been connected to the Mantine Mania ride. More tents stand abandoned around your location and a Kiddie Arena peeks out from between them. Otherwise, nothing else really stands out to you and a short staircase gives you easy access back to the ground. Movement near the Kiddie Arena manages to catch your attention, though, and several brief flashes of familiar color give you an idea of who or what is currently over there. A black shape rises up above the tops of the tents before diving back down.

What will you do?

~!~

Son_of_Shadows:
As you dive behind the stand, your Hoothoot releases a Wave of Heat towards the remaining child ghost, but, in his fear, he barely takes a moment to aim. The attack just barely passes the giant ghost and the leader child dives away at the last second, grimacing slightly as his leg is caught in the wave. In retaliation, the giant ghost makes a simple swipe at Bishop, which he avoids with plenty of room to spare.

That’s not going to work, a voice whispers from beside you and you whip around, the leftover effects of Bishop’s Foresight allowing you to see the youngish girl grimly watching the confrontation. Like the others, she also bears the reminder of how she died, a single hole clear through her chest in this case, but she seems to have accepted her death. At least, based on first impressions. He’s not going to be beaten that easily. There were a few others who’ve tried to fight him, but they all died or went crazy, she continues, turning to look at you. He’s also got at least one Ghost Pokemon helping him ‘cause they like when he scares the other kids and the people who come looking. She glances at the three occupants of the battlefield. I should probably get you and your Pokemon out of here before he gets the rest of the ghosts to come dog-pile you two, she said wryly, motioning for you to follow her.

What will you do?

~!~

Ariden:
You reluctantly decide to follow the voice, not really seeing any other choice in the matter, and begin walking, the ground under your feet gently sloping downward. The light slowly gets dimmer as you continue descending, the path getting rougher all the while until you actually have to watch your step to make sure you don’t trip over debris. Thankfully, a little light remains, enough that you can still tell where your Whiscash is and where the walls are, even if they are mostly shadows. You hear no other sounds; the odd voice seems to have disappeared completely, though a presence hovers on the edge of your senses.

Eventually, you come to a two-way fork and the voice reappears, echoing from the path on your right.

“This way,” it says, but, even as you decide whether to continue following it, a loud, terrified yipping comes from the other path. It sounds young and a hurried pattering of paws reaches your ears before a yelp and the sound of a body hitting a wall cuts it off. The voice returns, saying, “Come on. There’s not much time. The only way you’ll survive is if you follow me now.” You think you might have detected an uncomfortable tone underlining that last statement.

Ariden:
You reluctantly decide to follow the voice, not really seeing any other choice in the matter, and begin walking, the ground under your feet gently sloping downward. The light slowly gets dimmer as you continue descending, the path getting rougher all the while until you actually have to watch your step to make sure you don’t trip over debris. Thankfully, a little light remains, enough that you can still tell where your Whiscash is and where the walls are, even if they are mostly shadows. You hear no other sounds; the odd voice seems to have disappeared completely, though a presence hovers on the edge of your senses.

Eventually, you come to a two-way fork and the voice reappears, echoing from the path on your right.

“This way,” it says, but, even as you decide whether to continue following it, a loud, terrified yipping comes from the other path. It sounds young and a hurried pattering of paws reaches your ears before a yelp and the sound of a body hitting a wall cuts it off. The voice returns, saying, “Come on. There’s not much time. The only way you’ll survive is if you follow me now.” You think you might have detected an uncomfortable tone underlining that last statement.

What will you do?

Ariden crabbed along the path, as he descends the slope downward. His whiscash just glided its way through. The rougher surface was no problem for Ariden as he wore sturdy walking boots, but it did get a little dodgy when there were debris over the place. Again this terrain seemed to be easy on his whiscash, maybe due to its skin. "Whisky, you hear that?" Ariden pointed to his whiscash, then to the forked road.

They both heard the discrepancies between the two roads and reassessed the situation. "Whis, whis," the whiscash flopped about the way leading left. Ariden without much thinking smirked, "Of course, that's what I thought as well. Let's just pretend the voice is not talking to us. Besides, if it's a pokemon, you can talk to it." With that, Ariden optimistically and his whiscash proceeded left.

Son_of_Shadows:
As you dive behind the stand, your Hoothoot releases a Wave of Heat towards the remaining child ghost, but, in his fear, he barely takes a moment to aim. The attack just barely passes the giant ghost and the leader child dives away at the last second, grimacing slightly as his leg is caught in the wave. In retaliation, the giant ghost makes a simple swipe at Bishop, which he avoids with plenty of room to spare.

That’s not going to work, a voice whispers from beside you and you whip around, the leftover effects of Bishop’s Foresight allowing you to see the youngish girl grimly watching the confrontation. Like the others, she also bears the reminder of how she died, a single hole clear through her chest in this case, but she seems to have accepted her death. At least, based on first impressions. He’s not going to be beaten that easily. There were a few others who’ve tried to fight him, but they all died or went crazy, she continues, turning to look at you. He’s also got at least one Ghost Pokemon helping him ‘cause they like when he scares the other kids and the people who come looking. She glances at the three occupants of the battlefield. I should probably get you and your Pokemon out of here before he gets the rest of the ghosts to come dog-pile you two, she said wryly, motioning for you to follow her.

What will you do?

Bishop tried his best, but the leader child managed to dodge his mighty heat blast. Still, it had definitely been worth a shot, and at least Bishop managed to dodge the giant's counterattack, so he was still unharmed. Joshua was about to have him try again with an Air Slash this time, when a small voice spoke out from beside him.

That’s not going to work, said a little girl ghost. Just when he thought things couldn't get creepier. She wasn't actively involved in the fight, she was only watching it. And, like all the others, there was a very clear indication of how she'd passed on - a gigantic hole in her chest. Charming! She seemed so much more at peace than the other children, as though she had accepted death. Perhaps that was the most tragic thing here of all - a little girl who had accepted her horrific death. Again, not the time to worry about that. She continued: He’s not going to be beaten that easily. There were a few others who’ve tried to fight him, but they all died or went crazy, she continues, turning to look at you. He’s also got at least one Ghost Pokemon helping him ‘cause they like when he scares the other kids and the people who come looking. I should probably get you and your Pokemon out of here before he gets the rest of the ghosts to come dog-pile you two. So the leader child was too strong to fight right now... The little girl was encouraging him to flee with her, but Joshua was strongly against the idea - what about those who would come here in the future to pay their respects? Would they be attacked too? Almost certainly. He had to put a stop to this here and now if he was able to - and perhaps the Ghost Pokémon who were helping him out were the key to doing so.

"Fine, get me out of here," he said to her, "but take me to find his Ghost Pokémon allies. I want a word with them." He hoped his stern tone would emphasise how serious he was about this, and force the little girl to listen. "I intend to bring peace to this park."

Originally Posted by scytherdude30
no no no you need an empoleon as your powerhouse da listen to me man I AM THE BOMB

Originally Posted by Zincspider

Yes, someone is getting 'killed'... HOORAY FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!....

King Ghidorah:
You climb onto Kingler’s back before issuing your order, knowing that the maneuver could be dangerous but you had to try. And, without your other Pokemon, you couldn’t take any chances with Kingler’s well-being.

Kingler gives you a moment longer to get settled on his back before he uses his first Surf. A slight rumbling passes through your prison, but nothing extraordinary happens. Kingler continues with another Surf. This time, the rumbling of the room is louder and you can hear a decently-sized wave hit the other side of the wall behind you. Another Surf and the outside wave sounds even larger as the room shudders visibly. Another and it’s starting to sound like a battering ram. Again and you hear water slosh over the side of something; water is briefly visible on the upper edge of the wall behind you. One more and a wave of water pours over the wall in a waterfall, drenching you and Kingler even as it fills the room about a third. You tighten your grip on Kingler’s shell as he uses another Surf and another wave rushes in; the edge of the walls are almost reachable. Another Surf and it’s within your grasp as you reach out to grab it, balancing precariously on Kingler’s slippery shell. It takes you a few tries to actually get a hold on the wall, but you finally pull yourself up, glancing around to see where the two of you had ended up.

On the other side of the wall the water had been coming from is a large pool that may have been connected to the Mantine Mania ride. More tents stand abandoned around your location and a Kiddie Arena peeks out from between them. Otherwise, nothing else really stands out to you and a short staircase gives you easy access back to the ground. Movement near the Kiddie Arena manages to catch your attention, though, and several brief flashes of familiar color give you an idea of who or what is currently over there. A black shape rises up above the tops of the tents before diving back down.

What will you do?

Soaking wet, Hugo was still happy to be able to see over his prison walls. Kingler hoisted him over the ledge and onto the staircase, with the pincer Pokemon following. The duo slowly make their way down the stairs, making sure to be cautious of any more surprises. Hugo was well aware that the Mismagius was likely still out there watching, plotting it’s next attack. Even though Kingler was powerful, Hugo knew he could only take so much. If this Mismagius was able to constantly flee and heal itself, it would be a lost cause. Hugo would need to either get out of dodge completely or defeat the Mismagius. But he couldn’t just leave the rest of his Pokemon out there. He knew that they needed him as much as he needed them. So he couldn’t leave yet.

The eerie carnival music continue to crank in the background as Hugo and his crustacean companion made their way through. Chills ran down Hugo’s spine and he clutched onto Kingler’s pincer when he noticed the shadowy figure diving down behind the tents. Kingler, too, was a little startled, but he waved his massive claw in the direction of the tent and scowled. He didn’t know what was out there, but he wouldn’t back down either.

*click click * responded Kingler in agreement. It was everyone or no one.

Hugo spotted the Kiddie Land area of the park. Somehow, the rundown, decrepit remains of what once filled with the innocence and untainted joy of children was more disturbing than the rest. Hugo examined and noticed a few bright flashes of color. What was it? He couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but he got a strong sense of familiarity. Subconsciously, he knew what was over there. But he couldn’t put words to it.

Takeo:
Feeling trapped and frustrated, you quickly find an outlet in the approaching…whatever it was, challenging it to a fight. Your Vulpix jumps out of your arms and prepares herself for a fight, as well, the two of you staring down the path you had just walked. The steps continue their approach, not even slowing for a second, and they almost seem to get heavier the closer they get.

ThumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHU—

The steps cut off suddenly and the resulting silence is deafening; the shadows had fallen silent too. The two of you remain rooted to the spot, confused but not quite willing to relax your guard. Everything is ominously still and you start getting the feeling that something is watching you. Or maybe several somethings.

When a shriek echoes out of the darkness, though, you flinch in surprise and yell when you suddenly find yourself swept off your feet, scraping a forearm and losing your breath as you hit the ground. Several whooshing noises have you looking up and you see that the shadows that had been following you have pulled themselves free from the walls, darting this way and that, creating a confusing, moving mass of darkness. Frantically, you look for your Vulpix and her yips bring your gaze to the center of that mass where you briefly catch glimpses of your terrified fox. On the other side of the mass, you can barely hear the steps start up again, but a huge rush of chilling air whips past you as the shadows all move further down the corridor, quickly melting into their surroundings. After a moment, it becomes obvious that your Vulpix is gone as well.

The scuttling sounds from before get louder even as a ghost drifts into view. Floating out of the darkness, its red eyes remain focused on you and its zipper-like mouth stretches into a broad, evil grin at the sight of you all alone.

“Were you the one who said he would fight me?” it asks sardonically before trailing its gaze down to where your Pokeballs normally were; all but one are gone. It returns those mocking red eyes to you and clucks mock-sympathetically. “Well, what are you going to do now? You only have one Pokemon.” Its grin widens even more. “And you’re on my battlefield.”

What will you do?

~!~

The steps continued their approach, not slowing down for even a second, they almost seemed to get heavier the closer they got.

ThumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHU—

The steps cut off suddenly and the resulting silence was deafening; the shadows had fallen silent too.
"Something's not right," Hallow said trying to remain clam,
The two of them remained rooted to the spot, confused but not quite willing to relax their guard. Everything was ominously still and he started to get the feeling that something was watching him. Or maybe several somethings.
A cold drip of sweat dropped from his forehead to the ground, his breath was calm awaiting for something to pop out any second,
Just then, a shriek of echoes poured out of the darkness, he flinched in surprise and yelled when he suddenly found himself swept off his feet, scraping a forearm and losing his breath as he hit the ground.
"Huff!,"
Several whooshing noises had him looking up and he saw that the shadows that had been following them had pulled themselves free from the walls, darting this way and that, creating a confusing, moving mass of darkness.
"GRACE!,"
Frantically, he looked for his Vulpix,
her yips bringing his gaze to the center of that mass where he briefly caught glimpses of his terrified fox.
The darkness over taking her,
"Grace fight them!, use Incinerate!,"
But his commands were ignored,She can't hear me, he thought,I have to do something!,
He scrapped on the floor to stand but the shadows only pushed him back down,
On the other side of the mass, he could barely hear the steps start up again,
a huge rush of chilling air whipped past him as the shadows all moved further down the corridor, quickly melting into their surroundings, he looked back, after a moment, it became obvious that his Vulpix was gone,
"GRACE!!,"
He bashed his head and fists on the floor, like a child displaying a temper tantrum,
He looked up when he heared the scuttling sounds from before, this time louder, even as a ghost drifted into view.
Floating out of the darkness, its red eyes remained fixed on him and its zipper-like mouth stretched into a broad, evil grin at the sight of him all alone.

“Were you the one who said he would fight me?” it asked sardonically before trailing its gaze down to where his Pokeballs normally were; all but one were gone.
"I am," with a vindictive tone,
It returned those mocking red eyes to him and clucks mock-sympathetically. “Well, what are you going to do now? You only have one Pokemon.” Its grin widened even more. “And you’re on my battlefield.”

"And I bet you had something to do about that, didn't you?,"I can't worry about Grace right now...,
In the back of his mind he knew she would be able to take care of herself,I have to focus on the problem at hand,

Hallow reached for his pokeball,
"There are a lot of things I would like to ask you," his voice showing a bit of emotion,
"But, that wouldn't get me anywhere,"
"Growing up, I've realized theres just one way to deal with a bully like you,"
He was pissed,
"Narcissa, lets show this rag doll or should I say crybaby some tough love,"
Hallow flicked the pokeball with his thumb, it flying into the air,
"Lets start things off with Psychic, follow up with Shadow Ball, and give it a taste of Sludge Bomb!,"

Mon1010- Using some deductive logic and the help of his Pokedex, Scott quickly figures out that there are likely Pokemon possessing the plushies, and based on the attacks that they've used so far, he can even pinpoint the exact evolutionary line of each attacker; the Arcanine appears to be possessed by some member of the Gengar evolutionary family, while the Eevee is possessed by either Shuppet or Banette. Of course, these deductions provide no help in terms of the motivation and intent of these plushie-possessing spectres, but at least these findings aid Scott in developing a solid battle strategy for his buddy Shaana.

Melanie leads the charge this round with another Bite; since the Arcanine plushie seems intent on heading towards her trainer, it seems as if a lot of her energy is being focused on that particular plush. This bite takes off one of the Arcanine's paws, revealing a ghostly, purple hand beneath. Seems as if this dark-type attack is also super-effective against the creature, who yelps with pain in response to the attack made by the Houndour's vicious fangs. Shaana tries to follow up with another super-effective Psybeam, but the Arcanine's body manages to dodge to the side in time, marking the first deviation in its forward-moving path since Scott and Shaana first laid eyes on the monstrous plush form. Seems as if the attacks are finally causing some hesitation; at least enough to cause them to deviate from their straight path, anyhow. The Arcanine responds with a nasty bit of Spite towards Houndour, laying a spooky curse on the dark puppy which limits the amount of times she can use her bite attack as the battle continues. "Eevee", who seems to like to copy its plush partner, also uses Spite, directing the attack towards Shaana; however, the curse does not seem to take hold, as Shaana seems to shrug off the attempt of the Eevee to freak her out.

Melanie is ordered by her trainer to try her Smog against the Eevee in attempt to poison it; however, Arcanine blocks the attack with its plush body, causing Melanie to completely miss the Eevee and do very little damage to the Arcanine. Shaana attempts a Yawn in order to cause the Arcanine to fall asleep, but this time, the Eevee acts as a shield for Arcanine; seems like this Eevee is an insominac or something, since it seems completely unphased by Shaana's attempt at making it drowsy. Arcanine, coming out from behind Eevee, attempts Hypnosis once again on the vicious Melanie, who once again is having none of this sleeping juju nonsense. She simply growls angrily in response. Eevee, seemingly tired of Melanie's impertinance, attempts a Shadow Sneak behind her; Melanie whips around and catches the particularly unlucky creature in her jaws, ripping the Eevee head clean off. Seems as if the creature within dodged the counterattack, though with the head of the Eevee gone, Scott can now see the true head of the Banette that inhabits the Eevee. Certainly, the gaze in the creature's eyes is highly unsettling, and Scott wonders what might be causing the creature to act so malevolently.

"A Banette," the girl exclaims. "I should have known! Melanie and Munna, I think it's time for a Beat Up! Shaana nods in response to the girl trainer's request, and both Melanie and Shaana wail on the Banette, with two super-effective strikes to its plushie "armor". Munna follows up the gang-style beating with a Pursuit she had learned from a Valentine's Day adventure, which seems to be coming in handy now; the super-effective attack has "Eevee" reeling, its Banette form clearly damaged by the brutality of the attack. "Arcanine" seems hellbent on sending Houndour to sleep, and attempts Hypnosis once more. Once again, this creature is shown to have some god-awful luck (perhaps it's the fact that it's Friday the 13th?) and once again fails to send the hyper Houndour to dreamland. The Eevee-Banette, who is certainly not backing down from this fight, attempts a Knock off on Shaana, but Munna is quick to float away from the Banette before it causes any damage with its potentially killer move.

Shaana and Melanie are still fighting fit, while Banette and her "Arcanine" partner have become like their plushies in that they have definitely seen better days. Two rounds remain until they close in on Gulpin and the girl who is training Melanie.

Gulpin is substantially calmer. He seems especially hopeful considering that the battle seems to be going the way of his allies.

How will Scott and Shaana respond?

"Woo-hoo!" Scott shouted as he pumped a fist into the air. Then he immediately grasped the Gulpin with both arms again, to avoid dropping gulpin. As the battle continued, he saw that his suspiciouns were right, those were Ghost types, one of which was a Bannete. The Gulpin he was carrying seemed to calm down some now that they were winning. Still, they were heading this way, and he only had two rounds left before they made it to where he was standing... he wondered what it was these two wanted, but it wasn't like they could answer, so there was no point in asking.

"Alright Shaana, don't let up. Use Pursuit on Banette again, and Psybeam the the Arcanine twice!"

Ariden:
Deciding to completely ignore the disembodied voice, you and your Whiscash head down the left path, looking to investigate the sounds you’d heard. The voice calls out desperately one more time, before it quiets and the two of you are alone again. Even the noise from before had disappeared, leaving you to walk along with no guarantee that going straight ahead would lead you to the voices.

After some time, though, you begin to hear faint sounds from up ahead and you can make out three distinct voices: two deep ones and the higher-pitched young one that had caught your attention in the first place. As you get closer, it becomes easier to make out the vague shapes of the three individuals, though the lack of light in the tunnel prevents you from making out anything more than their locations: two large shadows standing over a smaller shadow against the right wall of the tunnel.

Two pinpricks of light turn towards you and their owner lets out a rumbling noise aimed at its companion, before a threatening growl rolls down the tunnel, even as the two glowing circles slowly bounce closer. The other shadowy figure attempts to dart towards the last shape huddled against the wall, only to get a faceful of Embers, before it backs up, shaking its head with a frustrated growl.

What will you do?

~!~

Son_of_Shadows:
She hesitates at your request, obviously torn between wanting to make sure you get away safely and wanting to end the other ghost’s reign, but the decision is torn from her when another ghostly voice brings attention to your position.

He’s over there with a girl! A really young child points towards the two of you and the little girl mutters a curse, before grabbing your hand and running. Behind you, the giant ghost smashes the aged stand to pieces and your Hoothoot frantically flies after you, having distracted the two ghosts for as long as he could while you were talking. The leader child’s voice echoes after the three of you as you take off away from the confrontation, a tone of amusement in his voice: You won’t be able to hide, you know? My friends can see wherever you go.

You quickly lose the two ghosts in the almost-maze of abandoned tents, the little girl leading you the whole way, her chilled hand never letting go of yours. Sorry about that, she says after a while, slowing to a stop and letting go of your hand; it was starting to get numb. She starts looking around expectantly, as she continues, slightly sheepish: We probably shouldn’t have been talking there, especially right near where he was; he’s not exactly stupid. She sounds embarrassed when she speaks again. As for the other thing, we…actually have no idea where his allies are. One of the others might have an idea, though. Some of those trainers who fought him are stuck here, too. She begins walking again. C’mon. I’ll take you to them.

What will you do?

~!~

King Ghidorah:
As you approach the Kiddie Section, the atmosphere begins to feel more energized and excited, shadows darting forward eagerly to catch the show. Up ahead, the sounds of a battle reach your ears and that sense of familiarity from earlier strengthens; you recognize the two main voices echoing over the muttering and whispering of the unseen spectators. The black streak rises over the tents again and it reforms into a very familiar shape: your Murkrow!

You hurry forward as she dives back down, clearly preparing a harsh Peck for whatever opponent she was up against, but, as you pass the last few tents and the arena becomes clear, you have to stop to take in the situation. Because your Murkrow’s opponent is none other than your Nidoran♀! Even as you watch, Murkrow comes hurtling down aimed right at Nidoran♀ who nimbly dodges and retaliates with a Scratch, knocking Murkrow right out of the air. As the Darkness Pokemon hits the ground in a tumble, an excited shifting passes through the shadows ringing the small arena, giving the impression that they were closing in on the downed bird.

As your Murkrow struggles back to her feet, a very light giggle catches your attention, coming from the other side of the field. A Misdreavus is floating behind your Nidoran♀, watching the battle intently and floating a Pokeball in the air next to it. It calls something out to your Nidoran♀ who responds by darting forwards and Cutting Murkrow, sending her skidding back on her side again. It looks like the Misdreavus is pretending to be a trainer using your Pokemon and it hasn’t noticed you at all yet; it’s having too much fun playing pretend.

What will you do?

~!~

Takeo:Be careful of what you decide in your reply. I never said what that Pokeball contained (even if it was pretty obvious) and deciding that it held your Frillish could be considered self-updating. I’ll let it slide this time, but watch what you write in the future.

“Is that so?” it says, eyes brightening even further at the emotions you were emitting. Its countenance takes on a menacing edge as your Frillish materializes in a flash of light, immediately beginning to emit a blue glow. The Banette’s outline glows blue after a moment and it gets thrown into the wall by your Frillish’s Psychic, bouncing off it and landing on the floor, its grin never wavering even as your Frillish begins charging her Shadow Ball. A few seconds later, she tosses the shadowy blob at the other Pokemon, throwing up a cloud of dust as the attack hits.

The two of you hear nothing from that direction and the dust cloud prevents you from seeing where the Banette had gone. Then, you catch a Faint shadow rise up next to your Frillish, but, before you can call out a warning, the Banette Attacks and jumps away, seamlessly sending out its Shadow to Sneak under Narcissa and strike her from below. It stops several feet away and tilts its head to the side, observing the pair of you as the dust begins to clear.

The malicious grin directs itself at you again, as it speaks: “With this little Frillish?” It floats lazily in place, chuckling. “Knock yourself out.” It darts forward, looking to Sucker Punch Narcissa, but your ghostly jellyfish lets loose a Sludge Bomb, forcing the other ghost to break off its attack.

Tyoyo3131:
After your encounter with a Misdreavus, you return Severus to his Pokeball and move over to the pile of sacks, picking one off the top to use on your way down and releasing a cloud of dust from the old sack. The little particles float in the air for a while and you sneeze once, twice, three times, before you place the sack at the top of the slide and push off, hanging onto Severus’ Pokeball and expecting to meet the Misdreavus again on your way down.

The previous observation that it would be a rough ride proves correct almost immediately, as you bounce over a couple of warped regions that shakes your entire body and makes your rear complain. A moment later, the slide groans loudly and shudders, the vibrations being transferred through your body and you wonder whether the ride will collapse with you still on it. You pass over a few oddly chilly patches, briefly noting the slight gaps in the wall on your right where the Blizzard must have passed through.

About halfway down, you suddenly get lightheaded and your vision goes blurry, everything turning into a cloudy mess. The dreary color scheme slowly melts into a more colorful and cheerful one, all the while giving you the sense that you are floating; you can’t even feel the downward pull of gravity anymore. Then, the clouds whirl and coalesce back into solid objects and you land at the bottom, quickly climbing to your feet as you stare wide-eyed at the scene before you.

Where once stood a deserted amusement park, a lively and populated one had replaced it, complete with crowds of people walking, eating, laughing, and everything else people did at an amusement park. Children laughed as they chased each other around and shrieked as they rode the rides, their parents chatting to other friends or keeping an eye on their young ones as they followed sedately behind. Teens moved around with their friends, pointing out fun-looking booths and interesting prizes to each other, while talking at the top of their voices. There were even trainers among the crowd, traveling around and browsing the attractions, making themselves obvious by the Pokemon that hung around them.

You are suddenly brought out of your shock when you are bowled over by the next person to come down the helter skelter, the two of you landing, winded, on the ground. A Sableye immediately scampers over and glares at you, before chattering over the one who knocked you over. He takes several deep breathes before he speaks, trying to recover his wind. “Woo, oh man. Woah, totally wasn’t expecting that. Woooo.” He rolls over and gets to his feet, brushing himself off as he reassured the agitated Pokemon. “It’s alright, dude. I’m fine. No, seriously. I’m just a little bruised is all.” He turns to you with a sheepish but friendly smile and offers his hand. “Hey, sorry about that. Didn’t realize you hadn’t moved yet or I’d’ve waited before I went down.”

What will you do?

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.” I said as I somehow hit every bump on the slide. I grinned as I realized I was right about something in this place. It was about at this moment that I hit the halfway mark, and instead of meeting the little ghost I had met before, I felt light headed. Now what? I asked myself within my head as the world around me became a murky gray. It slowly became a spinning rainbow, each new color coming with yet another bump. I eventually reached the bottom, and I hit the ground, the bag that apparently helped on the way down screaming as a tear appeared in it.

And then I looked up.

The dreary world that was once known as the Phantom Isle was replaced by the colorful playground I saw then. The shrieking children ran about, trying to go on every ride possible, while their parents stumbled after them. Trainers walked about as well, all with their pokémon alongside them. Then the thought came to me, What are the odds that somebody else is coming down? And clearly, the odds were pretty high, as somebody plowed me over and I fell over. A Sableye came over to me, glaring, and ran over to the little boy that had rammed me in the back. The boy breathed deeply a few times before actually saying something.

“Woo, oh man. Woah, totally wasn’t expecting that. Woooo.” He said, and I briefly believed that he was high or something like that. He got up and told his Sableye he was fine, then looked at me. “Hey, sorry about that. Didn’t realize you hadn’t moved yet or I’d’ve waited before I went down.”

“No, it’s fine. My fault anyways. I should’ve gotten up sooner…” I said, and it was his turn to believe I was high. Where am I? I thought, still dazed at to what had happened. I assumed that I had gone back in time to the days where the Isle wasn’t deserted. I grabbed his hand and pushed myself up by myself. “Sorry.”

Ariden:
Deciding to completely ignore the disembodied voice, you and your Whiscash head down the left path, looking to investigate the sounds you’d heard. The voice calls out desperately one more time, before it quiets and the two of you are alone again. Even the noise from before had disappeared, leaving you to walk along with no guarantee that going straight ahead would lead you to the voices.

After some time, though, you begin to hear faint sounds from up ahead and you can make out three distinct voices: two deep ones and the higher-pitched young one that had caught your attention in the first place. As you get closer, it becomes easier to make out the vague shapes of the three individuals, though the lack of light in the tunnel prevents you from making out anything more than their locations: two large shadows standing over a smaller shadow against the right wall of the tunnel.

Two pinpricks of light turn towards you and their owner lets out a rumbling noise aimed at its companion, before a threatening growl rolls down the tunnel, even as the two glowing circles slowly bounce closer. The other shadowy figure attempts to dart towards the last shape huddled against the wall, only to get a faceful of Embers, before it backs up, shaking its head with a frustrated growl.

What will you do?

Ariden and his whiscash kept thinking about what was next ahead. The previous voice seemed to have dimmed down. They heard 2 voices of contrasting pitches and saw 3 figures of individuals. Sadly, whiscash cannot use flash, so it was impossible to illuminate the situation further. Stopping to see what was going on with the light, glowing circles and darting movements, Ariden and his whiscash were befuddled, so they took some steps back.

"Whis, whis," the whiscash hopped 5 times on the ground, then tilted its body sideways, to the other side and then returned to normal, "Whis, whis". Ariden looked at his whiscash and sighed, "I guess you're right. I have no idea what to do, but when one is confuzzled, it's time for that. Let's do it. Sabotage." His whiscash let out a happy smile. Ariden then whispered an attack, "HM Surf. Let's let out a small puddle. We don't want to drown the Toolbox now do we?"

Ariden then returned his whiscash, and sent out his houndoom. "Toolbox. Sabotage. Now. Pretend to be weak, and howl," whispered Ariden to his houndoom. Ariden and his houndoom then embraced the light source, whatever it may be, human or not. As they approached the figures, his houndoom stepped on the puddle with its paw, and howled like a poor puppy. Ariden then confronted them, "Hey there. It seems like there is a leak. I guess the boiler broke down somewhere, eh? Look, I'm no certified plumber, but I guess if you want, we can go look for one."

Obviously, Ariden just pretended to be looking for a solution to the leak. In reality, he wanted to divert attention to re-assess the imminent situation and his next course of action.

Son_of_Shadows:
She hesitates at your request, obviously torn between wanting to make sure you get away safely and wanting to end the other ghost’s reign, but the decision is torn from her when another ghostly voice brings attention to your position.

He’s over there with a girl! A really young child points towards the two of you and the little girl mutters a curse, before grabbing your hand and running. Behind you, the giant ghost smashes the aged stand to pieces and your Hoothoot frantically flies after you, having distracted the two ghosts for as long as he could while you were talking. The leader child’s voice echoes after the three of you as you take off away from the confrontation, a tone of amusement in his voice: You won’t be able to hide, you know? My friends can see wherever you go.

You quickly lose the two ghosts in the almost-maze of abandoned tents, the little girl leading you the whole way, her chilled hand never letting go of yours. Sorry about that, she says after a while, slowing to a stop and letting go of your hand; it was starting to get numb. She starts looking around expectantly, as she continues, slightly sheepish: We probably shouldn’t have been talking there, especially right near where he was; he’s not exactly stupid. She sounds embarrassed when she speaks again. As for the other thing, we…actually have no idea where his allies are. One of the others might have an idea, though. Some of those trainers who fought him are stuck here, too. She begins walking again. C’mon. I’ll take you to them.

What will you do?

The little girl took his hand, and immediately Joshua felt a chill run up his spine. It was icy to the touch, but now that they were being chased, well, he hardly had time to worry about it. Bishop had managed to hold them off for as long as he could, but against such a large opponent, he was pretty much helpless. A voice echoed in his ears as they ran: You won’t be able to hide, you know? My friends can see wherever you go. The kid sounded so smug, so amused. He was toying with him. Ooh, that burned at both Joshua's ego and his nerves. Little Lord Fauntleroy was going to get a spanking, dead or alive.

Fortunately, his ally seemed to know the way through the maze of tents. She pointed out how silly they'd been to discuss their plans right in front of him, and to be fair, she was right, but hindsight is 20/20. They moved on. The little girl explained that there were other trainers lost in the Park. Captives of the ghosts? How disgraceful of that child to keep prisoners... He was a brat, lashing out at the world after his death. Pathetic in a way. The trio began to head off towards the captives, but Joshua couldn't help but wonder about these mysterious "allies" of the ghosts. If they were everywhere, they could be walking straight into a trap... "Bishop, use Foresight and Extrasensory to watch out for anyone, or indeed anything else that could be watching us."

Originally Posted by scytherdude30
no no no you need an empoleon as your powerhouse da listen to me man I AM THE BOMB

Originally Posted by Zincspider

Yes, someone is getting 'killed'... HOORAY FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!....

King Ghidorah:
As you approach the Kiddie Section, the atmosphere begins to feel more energized and excited, shadows darting forward eagerly to catch the show. Up ahead, the sounds of a battle reach your ears and that sense of familiarity from earlier strengthens; you recognize the two main voices echoing over the muttering and whispering of the unseen spectators. The black streak rises over the tents again and it reforms into a very familiar shape: your Murkrow!

You hurry forward as she dives back down, clearly preparing a harsh Peck for whatever opponent she was up against, but, as you pass the last few tents and the arena becomes clear, you have to stop to take in the situation. Because your Murkrow’s opponent is none other than your Nidoran♀! Even as you watch, Murkrow comes hurtling down aimed right at Nidoran♀ who nimbly dodges and retaliates with a Scratch, knocking Murkrow right out of the air. As the Darkness Pokemon hits the ground in a tumble, an excited shifting passes through the shadows ringing the small arena, giving the impression that they were closing in on the downed bird.

As your Murkrow struggles back to her feet, a very light giggle catches your attention, coming from the other side of the field. A Misdreavus is floating behind your Nidoran♀, watching the battle intently and floating a Pokeball in the air next to it. It calls something out to your Nidoran♀ who responds by darting forwards and Cutting Murkrow, sending her skidding back on her side again. It looks like the Misdreavus is pretending to be a trainer using your Pokemon and it hasn’t noticed you at all yet; it’s having too much fun playing pretend.

What will you do?

Hugo watches on as Murkrow soars through the air. He dark feathers contrast sharply with Nidoran’s shiny pink fur as the two collide in battle. Hugo looks on in horror as his two friends – friends themselves – engage in a battle themselves. Hugo was happy to see that they were still in one piece, but knew they wouldn’t be if this battle went on too much longer.

“Murkrow!” he called out. “Murkrow, enough!” But to no avail. “Nidoran! Stop!” He shouted.

It appeared to fall on deaf ears. Murkrow and Nidoran glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes. Hugo knew they heard him, but they seemed to be unable to control themselves. Meanwhile, the Misdreavus pulling the strings goes on giggling. Did it hear you?

Hugo turned to Kingler.

“We need to put a stop to this,” Hugo said. Kingler clicked his massive claws in agreement. But how? Do we go after the Misdreavus? Would that put a stop to it? Or would they have to take everyone out at once? Hugo cringed at the idea of attacking his own Pokemon. So going after Misdreavus at once. It hadn’t noticed Hugo yet, so they may be in the clear.

“Alright, Kingler,” Hugo said. “We’re going to take Misdreavus out. Hopefully that breaks whatever spell it has on Nidoran and Murkrow. I want you to blast that Misdreavus with Crossfire and then salt the wound with Brine! Let’s do this!”